The 23-year-old ended the debate around his £115m fee from Brighton in a season when he started every Premier League game for Chelsea, played more minutes than anyone else and is now regarded as one of the club’s star players alongside Cole Palmer.

The Ecuador midfielder also won both Chelsea’s Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards.

When asked if he is among the best in the world in his position, Caicedo replied: “I don’t think that. I am working on that. I want to become one of the best midfielders in the world but I am too far right now.

“I am working hard every day and want to show it on the pitch.”

A Club World Cup final against Champions League-winners Paris St-Germain offers chance to prove himself in a way where he cannot be denied such status.

“Yes, exactly,” he added. “I want to do my talking on the pitch, showing my great football and then people can talk about me.

“You know people always talk when you are doing well. Even when they say bad things, I don’t care because I just want to help my team and I focus on that.”

In this more than one-month long tournament in the United States, Chelsea’s players have spent a lot of time together and, when it comes to a club table tennis tournament at the team’s various hotels, Caicedo insists in that arena he is the best.

“Yes, I am the best at that.. I am the best, I am the best!” he added while laughing. “It’s good, fun and we have been having a good time and a lot of laughs. Who is the worst? I won’t say that!”

There have been doubts about Caicedo’s fitness for Sunday’s showpiece after he came off early with an ankle problem in the semi-final win over Fluminense, but there was positive news as he trained with the squad on Thursday.

With Ruud van Nistelrooy in charge for his first Premier League match as interim United coach ahead of new manager Ruben Amorim’s arrival next week, United scrapped hard against the visiting side.

And they thought they had secured the three points when Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty on 70 minutes after Rasmus Hojlund was clumsily felled by visiting goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

But Caicedo came up with a fabulous first goal of the season only four minutes later when he thumped the ball low into the net after Casemiro could only partially head clear a corner.

Chelsea remain without a league win at Old Trafford since 2013, but Enzo Maresca’s men move above London rivals Arsenal into fourth spot on goal difference on 18 points with United remaining in 13th spot on 12 points after 10 matches.

I’ve known Moises since he first arrived in England to play for me at Brighton, and his story is an interesting one.

It was never a case where he landed in a new country and everything went great for him – but he has always shown he can cope when not everything goes to plan.

The way it began for him with us at Brighton was similar to what happened when he first joined Chelsea, in that it felt like he has had to suffer and dig in before coming out the other side and showing everyone his true quality.

He has established himself now at Chelsea, which is credit to him because that status has not come easy – for lots of reasons.

Moises has had to cope with a lot of criticism of his £115m price tag, and also criticism of him personally as a player in terms of what he has given to the team, so it’s no wonder he admitted he lost some confidence.

Things are different now. The Chelsea team has settled down a lot since he first joined, which has probably helped him a lot, but he has grown with them.

He is at an exciting club, in the way that they are a young team who are going to grow together, so they will get to know each other more and more – and he and they are only going to get better from here.

‘He joined a club in transition’

It is just over a year since Chelsea beat Liverpool to the race to buy Moises from Brighton, for an initial £100m fee – that could rise to a British record.

There is sometimes an expectation that you sign players and they are going to hit the ground running, and be some kind of instant solution to whatever problem you have got.

What people often misunderstand is that you have been watching a player who is playing a certain way, and functioning well in a well-functioning team.

When you put him in a different situation, and in a team that is not functioning in the same way, you don’t get the same player – temporarily, anyway. They just need some help and support to get back to that point.

You have to understand the context of the club he went to, because it is fair to say Chelsea were in a period of transition for a couple of years, including the time I was there as manager.

It was probably similar for Marc Cucurella, who also moved from Brighton to Chelsea in 2022. All of a sudden you are at a new club, with new team-mates and a new context. If the team is not doing well, that makes it even harder.

It is difficult for all players – not just young ones – and, just like he did when he first came to England, Moises had to adapt.

‘I’d describe his character as world class’

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Caicedo and Potter celebrate after Brighton’s 4-0 win over Manchester United in May 2022 – it was only the sixth Premier League game Caicedo had played

Moises was only 19 when we brought him over from Ecuador in 2021 and, when we sent him out on loan in Belgium a few months later, the team he joined were struggling at the bottom of the league.

Moises found that spell quite tough. We spoke to him a lot at that time, and also when he came back to Brighton at the start of 2022, when he felt he was still adapting to the intensity of the training sessions and the way the game is played over here.

Because he always had the physicality for the demands of the Premier League, we knew that once he did adapt he would be able to cope with it, no problem.

He just needed time, and the right pathway into the first team – we knew he was talented but we were never going to throw him off the plane from Ecuador and straight on to the pitch.

We tried to give him everything he needed, but the other thing that helped him make such an impact was his attitude. I would describe his character as world class, and I am sure it has made a difference for him at Chelsea too.

Moises is a mix of someone who wants to learn and improve, but is also highly intelligent anyway. The way he approaches things is the perfect combination for a manager or coach to work with, and because of that I always thought his future was extremely bright.

I’ve not spoken to him for a while, but I’d be amazed if he had changed, just because of how grounded he was when he was playing for me.

He was always extremely humble and understood the journey he had been on to come to England, and was grateful for the opportunities and support he was given.

At the same time, he had already done so much for himself – to play international football for Ecuador at a young age, and then break into the Brighton team and do so well.

‘He will make everyone else better too’

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Caicedo is an ever-present in the Premier League this season and has played 727 minutes in all competitions in 2024-25, more than any other Chelsea player. The next most is Cole Palmer with 630 minutes

You never know for sure how a young player will do in the first team. All you can go off is what you see every day in training, and how he is as a person.

By that I mean how he can handle pressure, and deal with disappointment and setbacks, because those are the things that get challenged constantly in the Premier League.

Moises deserves great credit for the way he has come through all of those things, at Brighton and now at Chelsea, to be playing at the level he is currently at.

The fact that he has captained Chelsea already this season, in the Europa Conference League against Servette, says a lot about his mentality and tells you what people within the building think of him as a person.

That side of things does not surprise me at all, because I know what he is like and how he plays his football.

When people talk about team players, well, that’s Moises – he just wants to do the best he can for his team. Of course, he is a better player when the team is functioning well, but he will make everyone else better too.

He is not the guy who is going to dribble past 10 players or try something flash.

He is physical, he wins the ball for you and he keeps things simple when he has got it, although he has got quality too – look at the through ball he played for Nicolas Jackson to score against West Ham a couple of weeks ago.

The impact he has in the team goes beyond most of the stats that are shown for midfielders, because they don’t wholly reflect his role and influence on the team.

You can use those binary measurements, like tackles made, distance run or sprints and it tells you one thing about him – but not everything.

‘He gives balance to this Chelsea side’

Image caption: Chelsea’s midfield and attack has been unchanged in their past three Premier League games – wins over West Ham and Brighton and a draw with Nottingham Forest

When Moises was a teenager he was more of a box-to-box player, and at Brighton he did not start out as a dedicated holding player either.

He can play different roles in a team, including hitting the box – because he has the capacity to be that old-fashioned midfielder who can do everything – tackle and pass, and shoot and score.

At the moment, though, he is playing a specific role for Chelsea because of the way Enzo Maresca wants them to play, as the more defensive midfielder covering the five players ahead of him.

That makes sense because Chelsea have got their front three of Jadon Sancho, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson, with Cole Palmer behind them and Enzo Fernandez in a slightly higher position too.

Behind them, they have got Moises alongside one of their inverted full-backs, which provides them with the balance which allows that front five to attack.

Image caption: Graphic showing the average position where Chelsea’s players touched the ball in their draw against Forest. Caicedo is number 25

So, what is asked of him is quite clear. Like I say, he could do other things as well but, at the same time, he is really good at the job Maresca has given him because of his intelligence and physical attributes.

To be a holding midfielder it helps if you are strong positionally, as in you read the game and are in the right position most of the time, but you also need to be able to cope if you do get it wrong occasionally, because it is going to happen.

In the Premier League you have defend big spaces sometimes, especially in a team like Chelsea – who like to drive the opposition back but leave them space to break into.

Moises’ positional sense will get better and better, the more he plays in that role, but he is already very good at recovering those big spaces and winning the ball back. Along with everything else, that makes him the perfect fit for the way they want to play.

I am really pleased to see him flourishing the way he is. He has seen his difficult periods out, without going under, and has kept on being himself – wanting the ball, winning the ball, and doing the right things.

This is just the start for him, but he and Chelsea are already seeing the rewards of his hard work.

The Ecuadorian, 22, joined the Blues from Brighton last August for a £100m fee that could rise to a British club record £115m following a bidding war involving Liverpool.

He scored one goal and registered four assists in 48 games in his debut season as Chelsea finished sixth in the Premier League, with manager Mauricio Pochettino leaving in May.

“The beginning was tough for me, because you are at a big club, the price, you always have to win every game,” Caicedo said.

“It was tough for me because when I was in Brighton, the pressure is less. At Chelsea, it is different. I felt a lot of pressure because you know the club, the history, the players who were there.

“But after the last four or five months, I felt more comfortable at the club.”

Asked if he lost confidence, Caicedo said: “Yes, confidence. I have the quality and I know the player I am. But sometimes if you are not strong in your mind, it is difficult.”

Caicedo praised a performance coach and his former manager Pochettino for getting him back on the right track.

“A lot of people around me helped me – Mauricio and his staff. They were with me when I felt like I was not the same Moises,” he said.

“[I asked them] ‘Please help me because I want to show my quality, my football.’ They were with me. I have a person outside of the club who helped me a lot to get the pressure out of my mind.

“A guy I speak to regularly told me, ‘Moises, you are a good player, you can do whatever you want on the pitch with responsibility. Just trust in yourself. If Chelsea paid that [much money] for you, it’s because you are a very good player.'”

New manager Enzo Maresca has begun to make his mark at Chelsea, and Caicedo said of the former Leicester City boss: “He plays like the same system that I played in Brighton. He wants the same.

“He wants me to show my quality, to have good personality, to show to my team-mates that I am the boss on the pitch.”

Liverpool agreed a £111m deal with Brighton for Caicedo before he chose to join Chelsea, a move he attributed to the Blues’ sustained show of interest.

“Chelsea was with me for a couple of months. I could not miss out on them. Because they were with me in tough moments when Brighton didn’t want to let me go,” Caicedo added.

“It was a difficult decision but, for sure, 100%, I knew I wanted to go to Chelsea.”

Chelsea face Real Madrid in their final US tour match in Charlotte on Tuesday evening (00:00 BST Wednesday) before returning to face Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The Ecuadorian amazed all inside Stamford Bridge when he controlled Neto’s clearance and struck from inside the centre circle in the 17th minute for his first Chelsea goal.

Raheem Sterling doubled Chelsea’s lead at the start of the second half before Benoit Badiashile could only direct Enes Unal’s effort into his own goal as Andoni Iraola’s side cut the deficit.

Mauricio Pochettino’s sixth-placed side are provisionally set to play Europa League football next term, but they will drop to the Europa Conference League if Manchester United beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday, 25 May.

Both sides started the game looking to attack as Cole Palmer went close for Chelsea while Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo fired straight at Dorde Petrovic inside 10 minutes.

Caicedo showed exactly what £115m brings to a side when he collected Neto’s clearance after the goalkeeper charged out to halt the run of Sterling.

The midfielder took aim as he crossed the halfway line, knowing Neto was well off his line, and there was nothing the Cherries keeper could do to prevent the accomplished finish.

Sterling made it 2-0 just after half-time. A jinking run on the left saw him leave two Bournemouth defenders behind before he fired through the legs of Neto.

Bournemouth closed the gap before Dominic Solanke, who started the game on the bench for the visitors, should have scored his 20th league goal of the season in the closing minutes. The former Chelsea man instead sent a poorly executed strike over the bar.

Chelsea have ended the season on a positive note, while Iraola’s Bournemouth, in trouble during the early weeks of the campaign, finish in 12th place.

Liverpool agreed a £111m deal for the 21-year-old Ecuador player on Friday.

But Caicedo’s preference was Chelsea and they finally succeeded with a bid on Sunday evening after having a succession of offers rejected.

“I didn’t have to think twice when Chelsea called me, I just knew I wanted to sign for the club,” Caicedo said.

“It’s a dream come true to be here and I can’t wait to get started with the team.”

Caicedo, who joined Brighton for £4m in February 2021, has agreed an eight-year contract at Stamford Bridge and the Blues have an option of a further year.

The additional £15m in payments is based mostly on appearances and Brighton expect to receive the entire £115m within a short period of time.

The Seagulls have also negotiated a significant sell-on clause for the midfielder.

If Chelsea pay the full £115m fee it would mean they break the British club record twice in 2023, following the £107m purchase of Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez in January.

“Moises has proved himself as a standout player in European football over the past 18 months,” said Chelsea co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley in a statement.

Brighton Director of football, David Weir believes Chelsea are signing “one of the top midfielders in the world”.

Brighton had set a fee in excess of £100m for Caicedo this summer and said they felt no one would reach it.

“Moises expressed a strong desire to move on, and at that point it was crucial our valuation was met in full,” said Brighton chairman Tony Bloom.

In his news conference before the Seagulls’ season opener against Luton, manager Roberto de Zerbi said he had “already forgotten” about Caicedo, adding: “Bigger clubs can buy our players but they can’t buy our soul or spirit.”

Caicedo joined Brighton from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle in 2021 but did not make his Premier League debut until the following April.

He asked to leave Brighton in the January transfer window earlier this year and Arsenal had multiple offers turned down for the midfielder before he signed a new contract until 2027 in March.

Caicedo will be Chelsea’s eighth signing of the summer, following Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Lesley Ugochukwu, Angelo Gabriel, Robert Sanchez and Diego Moreira.

New manager Mauricio Pochettino has been tasked with overhauling the squad and vastly improving on last season’s 12th-place finish in the Premier League.

Mateo Kovacic, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ethan Ampadu, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Abdul Rahman Baba and former captain Cesar Azpilicueta have all departed so far this summer.

Chelsea opened their Premier League season with a 1-1 home draw against Liverpool on Sunday.

Liverpool’s offer was accepted by Brighton after a midnight deadline for bids for the midfielder was set on Thursday. It is understood Chelsea were prepared to go to £100m for the player.

However, although Caicedo was expected to travel to Liverpool for a medical on Friday, he remains in London and has made it clear he only wants to leave Brighton for Chelsea, who have been pursuing him all summer.

Chelsea are yet to offer a new improved bid.

“I have already forgotten about Moises,” Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi said. “I’m really proud of the players we have in the squad. Bigger clubs can buy our players but they can’t buy our soul or spirit.”

Liverpool formally submitted their proposal late on Thursday night after Caicedo seemingly indicated his willingness to move to Anfield.

“The fee with the club is agreed,” confirmed Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on Friday. “We will see what that means. We aren’t a club with endless resources and we didn’t expect a couple of things to happen this summer. Then it happened.”

As reported by Sky Sports News, Liverpool were locked in discussions with Brighton to ascertain all the financial parameters of doing a deal in case Chelsea couldn’t or wouldn’t reach an agreement.

Liverpool were informed just after midnight that they were indeed the highest bidders.

Brighton signed Caicedo for £4.5m from Independiente del Valle in 2021.

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After Brighton rejected a succession of bids from Chelsea, it remains to be seen whether the Blues will now match that amount.

Brighton had set a fee in excess of £100m for Caicedo and had said they felt no-one would reach it.

However, Liverpool have now done that, which leaves the 21-year-old Ecuador international free to go for a medical.

Liverpool lost midfielders Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to the Saudi Pro League last month but signed Caicedo’s Brighton team-mate Alexis Mac Allister in June for £35m.

The fee agreed for Caicedo exceeds the £107m Chelsea paid for Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez earlier this year.

Caicedo joined Brighton from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle for £4m in February 2021.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been looking at various options to rebuild his squad after they finished fifth in the Premier League last season and failed to qualify for the Champions League.

However, the price they are prepared to pay for Caicedo comes as a surprise, as in In April, the club said they would not make a move for England midfielder Jude Bellingham because of the money involved.

The 20-year-old later joined Real Madrid in a deal that could reach 133.9m euros (£115m).

Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, 19, has also been on Klopp’s list of potential transfers, but the Reds have seen three bids rejected by the Saints, who reportedly value the Belgian at £50m.

Brighton still do not expect anyone to reach their valuation for Caicedo and insists the situation has not changed.

Chelsea have had a succession of bids for the Ecuador midfielder rejected.

It is not clear whether 21-year-old Caicedo will return to the club’s Lancing training ground on Tuesday.

The Seagulls are continuing preparations for Saturday’s Premier League opener with Luton Town at the Amex Stadium at 15:00 BST.

In January, Caicedo made a public request to be allowed to leave for Arsenal. This was rejected and he subsequently signed a new contract that does not expire until 2027.

Brighton believed Caicedo would continue to behave professionally throughout the current transfer window. Now their position faces being tested.

Last week the Seagulls snubbed a £70m offer from Chelsea for a player they value in the region of £100m.

One source had told Sky Sports News that Brighton value Caicedo, who was signed from Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle for £4.5m in 2021, in the same bracket as Arsenal’s record-signing Declan Rice and will look to get in the region of £100m for him.

It is thought Chelsea were getting encouragement that the 21-year-old would join them if a deal can be agreed between the clubs, with personal terms not expected to be a problem.

Sky Sports News understands there are no active talks between the clubs currently.

Chelsea are now deciding whether to go back in with an improved offer or turn their attention to other targets.

Sky Sports News has been told Brighton are committed to keeping the player and that they do not want to sell.

Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi has made it clear he wants Caicedo to stay.

The Ecuador international asked to leave Brighton in January amid interest from Arsenal.

Brighton refused and Caicedo subsequently signed a new contract in March that runs to 2027.

However, he remains of huge interest to a number of Premier League clubs, with Chelsea most keen to sign the 21-year-old.

Chelsea are scheduled to meet Brighton in the opening game of the Premier League’s six-team pre-season tournament in Philadelphia on Saturday.

Caicedo will travel to the US direct from Ecuador having been given extra time off, while Brighton’s squad will fly out on Tuesday.

He joined Brighton from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle for a reported £4.5m in February 2021 but did not play that season.

Caicedo spent the first half of the 2021-22 season on loan with Beerschot in Belgium before Brighton recalled him in January 2022.

He made his Premier League debut in April 2022 and has played 53 times for Brighton, scoring twice.

Caicedo helped Brighton finish sixth in the Premier League last season as they secured a Europa League group-stage spot.