Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr target move for star Chelsea midfielder | OneFootball

Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo has emerged as a shock transfer target for the Saudi Pro League, according to reports.

Eyebrows were raised when the Blues agreed to pay up to £115m for the Ecuadorian when signing him from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023, though Liverpool had also expressed a willingness to pay a similar amount at the time.

Caicedo decided he'd rather join Chelsea over Liverpool – a move that has potentially cost him a first Premier League title win – and after a difficult first season in west London, he has established himself as a consistent performer.

The 23-year-old is the only Chelsea player to start every Premier League game this season, cementing a place in his favoured defensive midfield role after occasionally being shunted to right-back by previous head coach Mauricio Pochettino, but his prominent showings appear to have drawn the attention of the cash-rich Saudi Pro League.

Al Nassr, who are home to Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Jhon Duran among others, have placed Caicedo on a shortlist of potential targets, the Telegraph report, with their admiration for seeing him considered a 'dream' acquisition.

Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo are the star attractions at Al Nassr / Yasser Bakhsh/GettyImages

There's no indication that Chelsea would entertain the prospect of losing Caicedo, particularly as any deal would likely need to cost in excess of £100m simply to ensure the club don't make a sizeable loss on their investment.

Furthermore, Chelsea have been lacking personnel to challenge Caicedo for a starting berth, largely thanks to Romeo Lavia's consistent injury troubles.

Caicedo's form, which at one point had helped Chelsea up to second in the Premier League table before a recent run of indifferent results, even led head coach Enzo Maresca to state that he's currently one of the world's best in his position.

"In this moment I think he is one of the best or the best defensive midfielders in the world. He is doing fantastic," the Italian said after Chelsea's win over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. "The best thing about Moi is that everyday he is working serious, he is very humble, very kind, he is polite, he is a fantastic guy."