Summary Chelsea have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Moises Caicedo, as Brighton & Hove Albion have made it clear that they have no intention of selling the Ecuadorian superstar this summer. Despite missing out on Caicedo, Chelsea could turn their attention to Southampton's Romeo Lavia as a potential alternative for their midfield needs. While Lavia is a promising player, signing Caicedo would have a bigger and more immediate impact for Chelsea, which might justify paying a higher price for him.

Chelsea have been dealt a massive transfer blow after TalkSport presenter Jim White revealed that a Brighton & Hove Albion higher-up revealed to him that they "don't want to, nor need to" sell Ecuadorian superstar Moises Caicedo this summer.

Is Moises Caicedo joining Chelsea this summer?

As it has been in nearly every summer since the arrival of Roman Abramovich in 2003, Stamford Bridge has once again become one of the epicentres of business during the transfer window.

While the club started the window with a firesale of the players that played an instrumental role in their Champions League triumph just two years ago, like N'Golo Kante, Kai Havertz, and Edouard Mendy, they have since turned their attention to incomings.

So far, the most notable new signing has been Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal for £30m, as the deal to sign RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku was already agreed back in December.

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However, there is one name that has been linked to the Blues constantly over the last couple of months, and that name is Caicedo. The Brighton star has unquestionably become the team's top target, and after four failed bids to sign him, transfers expert Fabrizio Romano has reported that they will keep trying to land their man.

However, it might not be that easy, as with the Seagulls not willing to sell for anything less than £100m, the Pensioners have a decision to make: are they going to stump up the cash or move on?

Any ideas they had about waiting out the south coast side or pressuring them into selling are also unlikely to work, especially after TalkSport presenter Jim White revealed the information he had been given from someone from within the club this week.

He explained the situation live on TalkSport, with the clip being posted to their YouTube channel:

"It would not surprise me if Brighton end up holding onto Caicedo, because a few days ago I was in touch with one of the top brass, you know who I mean, at Brighton, and I was told in no uncertain terms 'look he's 21 with four more years left on his contract, we neither want nor need to sell him'."

Who could Chelsea sign if a deal for Moises Caicedo falls through?

With a deal for La Joya potentially slipping through their fingertips, who else have the club lined up as potential fallback options or alternatives so as not to end the window practically empty-handed?

One of the names attached to a potential move to West London several times throughout the window has been Southampton's exciting young midfielder Romeo Lavia.

According to The Times, Chelsea still want to sign the Belgian international but would face stiff competition from Liverpool, who, as of August 1st, have made two bids for the Saints star, the second being worth up to £41m

The relegated side are still holding out for the £50m valuation they have of their midfield dynamo, and should the deal for Caicedo to fall through, the Blues could use some of the funds they had for him to match the asking price and take the Merseysiders out of the equation altogether.

However, for as promising a player as Lavia looks, signing Caicedo would likely make a more significant and more immediate impact at Stamford Bridge, and so it might be worth the club once again paying over the odds to secure their primary midfield target.