Arsenal fear ruining their relationship with Brighton and Hove Albion if they make another move for midfielder Moises Caicedo.
That’s according to the Daily Mail, who claim that Arsenal have a strong connection with Brighton stemming back to their deal for Ben White in 2021.
That may well have helped Arsenal sign another Brighton player this month with Leandro Trossard arriving at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal want another Brighton man though and have targeted Caicedo in recent days, launching a huge £60million bid – which was rejected.
The Gunners still want Caicedo but are wary of straining their relationship with Brighton if they go in with another bid on deadline day.
Brighton have made it clear they do not want to sell and Arsenal want to be respectful of the Seagulls.
After all, backing away now rather than pushing Brighton may just give Arsenal an upper hand should negotiations resume in the summer.
Arsenal’s top alternative to Moises Caicedo is Jorginho
This leaves Arsenal considering other options as they chase a new midfielder on deadline day.
Mohamed Elneny is out injured and Arsenal need additional cover and competition for Thomas Partey in midfield.
Caicedo has been the top target for Arsenal may need to back off and go for somebody else with The Mail reporting that Chelsea’s Jorginho is now the ‘preferred option’.
This is an interesting move for Arsenal, who did want to sign Jorginho from Chelsea back in 2020 but no deal was done.
Jorginho would need to play at a slightly quicker tempo in this Arsenal team and isn’t exactly known as being outstanding defensively.
Add in that Jorginho is in his 30’s and will command fairly big wages and this seems like a departure from Arsenal’s recent recruitment model.
Mikel Arteta is a big fan though and may believe that Jorginho can provide something different without breaking the bank in terms of a transfer fee.
Jorginho is out of contract this summer and Chelsea seem ready to let him go before he leaves for nothing – and Arsenal are ready to strike on deadline day.
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