Brighton owner Tony Bloom has reassured Roberto De Zerbi that Moises Caicedo will stay this summer unless Chelsea meet their valuation.
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New Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is keen to welcome Caicedo to Stamford Bridge following the departure of midfielders N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Brighton have already rejected two offers from Chelsea – the first worth £60m and the second worth £70m – and value the Ecuador international at around £100m.
Chelsea hope to grind Brighton down but De Zerbi has been reassured that, as things stand, the 21-year-old will be part of his squad again next season.
Caicedo was one of Brighton’s most important players last season and helped the Seagulls finish sixth in the Premier League, qualifying for Europe for the first time.
‘I spoke with Tony Bloom and he told me if the condition don’t change, Moises stays with us,’ De Zerbi said at a press conference on Friday.
‘For me, it should be great news because it is difficult to find another great player. If Moises leaves, we have to find another player of the same level.
‘At the moment, I have not received news that Caicedo can leave tomorrow or in the next week. I start next season with Caicedo in my head in the first XI for sure.’
Chelsea are keen to bolster Pochettino’s squad after the club slipped to a bottom-half finish in the Premier League last season.
Blues defender Marc Cucurella played with Caicedo at Brighton and believes his former team-mate is pushing for a summer move to west London.
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Asked about Chelsea’s pursuit of Caicedo last week, Cucurella said: ‘I think he wants to come here, I’ve read in the media a lot of times.
‘For me, I have a really good relationship with him because we played together at Brighton. He’s a top player, a good midfielder, if he came here I think we’d have a top midfielder for a long time.’
Chelsea continue their pre-season schedule with a friendly against Brighton this weekend as they build up to their Premier League opener against Liverpool on August 13.
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