The record was previously held by another Chelsea signing, Enzo Fernández. The “Blues” acquired the Argentinian world champion from Benfica Lisbon for almost 107 million pounds in January.
The move was originally intended to top Caicedo’s move to Liverpool, who agreed a £111m release clause with Brighton on Friday. However, the young footballer rejected the “Reds” and preferred another interested party.
“When Chelsea called me, I didn’t have to think twice. I knew I wanted to sign with them. It’s a dream come true for me to be here and I can’t wait to get started with the team,” said Caicedo, who signed at Stamford Bridge for eight years.
Brighton will make a fortune out of him. Caicedo came to the club the year before last from the Ecuadorian team Independiente del Valle for five million euros (121 million crowns). He made his Premier League debut only in April last year, scoring two goals in 45 matches. This March, he extended his contract with Brighton until 2027.
In the national team, Caicedo has a balance of 32 matches and three goals. In the ranking of the most expensive football players in history, with an amount converted to 133 million euros, he ranks fourth behind the Brazilian Neymar (222 million euros), the French Kylian Mbappé (180) and the Brazilian Philippe Coutinho (145).