'Pressure' – Brighton chief executive Paul Barber issues Moises Caicedo statement as Liverpool and Arsenal interest intensifies

The Ecuador international has been outstanding for Brighton this season and helped Albion to 10 points from their first four matches.

Caicedo signed for the Seagulls in 2021 and his introduction to the team has helped soften the blow of Yves Bissouma’s £30m exit to Tottenham.

The 20-year-old is contracted with Albion until 2025 and they are under no pressure to sell having received more than £100m in transfer fees this window following the departure of Bissouma, Marc Cucrella’s £60m Chelsea switch and Neal Maupay’s £15m move to Everton.

Yesterday Graham Potter said the reported £42m bid from Liverpool would just about “get his boots” but the head coach also said he understands the speculation as Caicedo has been so impressive.

Today, Albion chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber added: “As Graham said, that’s only going to get his boots!

“Moises Caicedo has done well, but he’s still a really young player and you know better than anyone that with young players form can be inconsistent and we don’t want the kind of pressure on Moises that these kinds of headlines can create.

“That said, he’s a very level-headed young man and more than capable of dealing with it, in our opinion.

“He’s settled into the Premier League fantastically and potentially he’s got a World Cup to look forward to as well, so it’s a really good time for Moises and we’re delighted to have him.”