Marc Cucurella encourages Moises Caicedo to join Chelsea

Marc Cucurella has encouraged his former Brighton & Hove Albion teammate Moises Caicedo to join Chelsea.

The Blues have already signed Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Angelo and Diego Moreira during the current transfer window, but they are still hoping to make further additions.

They are particularly keen to strengthen in midfield following the departures of N'Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic.

After identifying Caicedo as a key target, Chelsea stepped up their pursuit by tabling a £70m bid, which was subsequently rejected by Brighton.

The Seagulls believe that Caicedo is of similar value to Arsenal's record-signing Declan Rice, and as a result, they are hoping to receive a £100m fee for the Ecuador international.

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While it remains to be seen if Chelsea return with another offer, Cucurella is keen for Caicedo to make the move to Stamford Bridge.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's friendly against Wrexham in North Carolina, the Spaniard told reporters: "I've read in the media that he wants to come here a lot of times!

"I have a good relationship with him. He is a top player and if he came here I think we would have a top midfielder for a long time."

Cucurella's own future has been the centre of speculation after experiencing a difficult first season with the West London club.

With Cucurella currently competing with Ben Chilwell, Lewis Hall and Ian Maatsen for a place in the starting lineup, there has been a suggestion that he could be offloaded this summer.

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When questioned about his future, Cucurella said: "Yes, for sure I want to stay at Chelsea. I am very happy here. It wasn't an easy season and it was difficult for all the players, we needed time to adapt.

"You arrive at a big club, you need time to adapt, the results don't arrive, you feel more pressure and, of course, we are footballer players, but we are normal people as well.

"We have problems in our personal lives and people need to understand this as well. This is part of life and these things can improve in the future. I am very happy, I have a lot of energy, and I am happy to stay here and do my best for this team and club."

After playing Wrexham on Wednesday, Chelsea will continue their pre-season tour of the USA with the Premier League Summer Series, where they will face Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United and Fulham.