Chelsea head coach Graham Potter may have already ended his chances of being able to lure Moises Caicedo to Stamford Bridge due to comments made while he was still in the Brighton & Hove Albion dugout, according to journalist Dean Jones.
Potter was unveiled as the Blues' new boss last week, just 24 hours after Thomas Tuchel was sacked, and his first opportunity to bolster the squad he has inherited will come when the transfer window reopens in January.
GiveMeSport Transfer Update With Dean Jones
What's the latest news involving Caicedo?
Caicedo, who moved to the Premier League when he joined Brighton in a £4.5million deal from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle last year, has opened the door for a reunion with Potter at Chelsea.
The central midfielder told Olé, via the Evening Standard, that 'nobody would turn down an offer' from the Blues and 'it’d be a dream to be in the best teams in the world and succeed there'.
While he was still in charge of Brighton, Potter revealed it would take a bid worth close to £100million to tempt the Seagulls into selling Caicedo and the club are ready to discuss a new contract in an attempt to fend off suitors.
Ecuadorian media outlet Tera Deportes, via the Express, have revealed Liverpool headed to the south coast with a bid for the 20-year-old as the clock ticked towards the transfer deadline earlier this month.
Arsenal, Manchester United, West Ham United, Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen have also shown an interest in Caicedo.
What has Dean Jones said about Caicedo?
Jones believes Potter may have made his task to bring Caicedo to Chelsea more difficult by suggesting he is worth up to £100million just days before he headed to Stamford Bridge.
The transfer insider feels the Brighton man may be attainable for less than that figure, but it will still be tough to succeed in negotiations.
When asked about Potter's comments on Caicedo, Jones told GIVEMESPORT: "He might have shot himself in the foot with that one.
"Brighton are immediately going to set his valuation up at £50million. To be honest, it would probably be even higher than that. I'm not sure it's going to be £100million anyway."
Would Caicedo be a good signing for Chelsea?
Doubts over N'Golo Kante's Chelsea future continue to rumble on thanks to him entering the final 12 months of his £290,000-per-week contract and rejecting a new proposal.
Caicedo, a 23-cap Ecuador international, could be a perfect replacement if Kante leaves Stamford Bridge as a free agent next summer.
He clearly knows new Blues chief Potter well, having been attracted to the Premier League by the tactician and made 16 appearances under his tutelage.
Caicedo is a consistently high performer, which is emphasised by statistics showing he boasts the fourth highest average match rating among his Brighton team-mates during the early stages of the Premier League season.