Chelsea respond to shock Saudi Arabia transfer interest in Moises Caicedo | OneFootball

Chelsea have reportedly made it clear they will not even entertain the idea of selling midfielder Moises Caicedo this summer in the face of interest from Saudi Arabia.

It emerged earlier this week that Al Nassr had identified Caicedo as an ambitious summer target on their quest to build a better squad around superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who is due to extend his stay with the club through a new contract.

The Ecuador international has enjoyed a stellar season at the base of Chelsea's midfield and had firmly established himself as a key player under manager Enzo Maresca, so there is understandable reluctance inside Stamford Bridge to listen to offers.

The Mail state those in charge at Chelsea are firm in their stance that they will not be parting ways with Caicedo, regardless of the sum of money potentially on offer from Al Nassr.

Chelsea paid a British record £115m to sign Caicedo two years ago and so would demand a similarly hefty fee to lose the 23-year-old, whose contract runs until 2031 and includes the option for a further 12 months.

Caicedo's importance to Chelsea has been underlined by the fact he has played more minutes this season than any other player. He has started every Premier League game and is the first Blues player to reach 3,000 minutes across all competitions this year.

Club officials have worked to find some cover for Caicedo and have already struck a deal to sign Sporting CP midfielder Dario Essugo, while Brazil international Andrey Santos is also due back at Stamford Bridge after a stellar loan spell with Strasbourg.