Paul Barber issues five-word response to Moisés Caicedo 'top six release clause' rumours after Arsenal and Chelsea bids

The 21-year-old attracted the interest of Arsenal and Chelsea during the winter transfer window after starring from Albion during the first half of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.

The Seagulls reportedly turned down bids from both the Gunners and Blues in January as the London clubs looked to prise the Ecuadorian away from the Amex.

The offers ultimately unsettled Caicedo, who wrote an open letter on social media declaring his desire to depart East Sussex.

Brighton subsequently told the midfielder to take time off until the end of the window, but the club received no further bids for the youngster.

Caicedo returned to the team following the window’s closure and has begun to recapture his fine early season form after a tumultuous January.

Many outlets have reported that Albion’s midfield maestro has a ‘top six release clause’ embedded into his new Seagulls contract.

But Barber was quick to quash those rumours, and revealed none of Brighton’s stars have ‘big club’ exit clauses written into their contracts.

Speaking on The Beautiful Game podcast, the Albion CEO said: “We don’t operate like that.

“We try and avoid things like that because they become such a point of discussion in negotiations that you spend hours and hours on something that may never happen or, if it does happen, it may not be the right price at the right time.

“We try and avoid things like that. We know other clubs use them, and that’s fine, but it’s not something that we tend to get involved with.”