Record Chelsea transfer to see agent win top honour with £110m Liverpool snub the catalyst

A leaked report claims the representative of Moises Caicedo, Ali Barat, will win the ‘Golden Agent award’ for 2023 after brokering the Ecuadorian’s move to Chelsea and subbing previous approaches from both Arsenal and Liverpool.

The 22-year-old star found himself one of the most in-demand players in not just the Premier League but in world football over the course of both the 2023 summer windows, before ultimately sealing a record-breaking move to Chelsea.

Paying Brighton an eye-watering £100m, plus a further £15m in add-ons, Caicedo became the most costly Premier League player of all time and third most pricey signing ever, behind Kylian Mbappe (£163m to PSG) in 2018 and Neymar (£198m to PSG) in 2017.

Caicedo has since made 14 appearances for the Blues, with nine starts in the Premier League to his name. And while he hasn’t quite yet set the world on fire, Mauricio Pochettino and Co will know the player is a long-term project for them in the centre of midfield.

To that end, the eight-year contract they handed to the Ecuador international, tying him to Chelsea to 2031, is testament to that.

Blues owner Todd Boehly ultimately beat Liverpool to the signature of Caicedo, gazumping Liverpool to his signature despite the Reds offering to pay more money up front and looking to sign the midfielder for £110m.

Caicedo was also the subject of a high-profile transfer chase from Arsenal during the winter window. The Gunners saw an offer in the region of £70m  – which was seen as generous at the time – rejected by the Seagulls for the midfielder.

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Caicedo agent awarded after securing Chelsea transfer

That decision ultimately worked out well for both parties, given Brighton raised even more from his sale, while Arsenal were freed up to sign the dominant force that is Declan Rice instead.

After making the move to Stamford Bridge, Caicedo told the Chelsea official website that it had always been his dream to secure the move to SW6, having named two Blues icons he wants to emulate.

“[Claude] Makelele and [N’Golo] Kante were an inspiration to me,” Caicedo said on his first day at Cobham. “They were so humble on the pitch. I think I can say we share similar qualities, but they were better. But now I am going to give everything for this club because they did so much for me.

“When I was a kid, I supported Chelsea and used to watch the games. Now it is amazing to be here. It is one of the biggest clubs in the world. I can’t wait to start with the guys, to give my best and to write my own story.”

As a result of that transfer saga, with Caicedo rising from a relative unknown who cost Brighton a mere £4m from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle in February 2021, to a £115m footballer in just two years, the Liverpool Echo reports that Barat will be recognised with the top Golden Agent award in Turin on Monday night.

Barat also represents Nicolas Jackson, whom also moved to Stamford Bridge over the summer, albeit for a much more modest £32m fee.

The Senegal forward has seven goals in 14 appearances for Chelsea so far, including a hat-trick in the 4-1 win at nine-man Tottenham earlier this month.

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