MOISES CAICEDO has released a statement calling on Brighton to let him leave the club.
Arsenal have reportedly seen a bid of £60million rejected by the Seagulls as Roberto De Zerbi looks to keep hold of the midfielder beyond the January transfer window.
GettyMoises Caicedo has been linked with a move to Arsenal in the January window[/caption]
But, with the window set to close on Tuesday, the Ecuadorian, 21, has now posted on social media in a bid to accelerate his exit.
Speaking on Instagram, Caicedo shared a picture of the Brighton badge and said: “I am grateful to Mr. Bloom and Brighton for giving me the chance to come to the Premier League and I feel I have always done my best for them. I always play football with a smile and with heart.
“I am the youngest of 10 siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo in Ecuador.
“My dream always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador.
“I am proud to be able to bring in a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to be successful.
“The fans have taken me into their hearts and they will always be in my heart so I hope they can understand why I want to take up this magnificent opportunity. ”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted this week: “We need more cover in midfield but it’s pretty complicated to do that in this market”.
Meanwhile, Brighton have also rejected a £55m bid from Chelsea for Caicedo.
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The south-coast club have a history of holding out for the full asking price and previously refused to enter into negotiations before selling Ben White, Marc Cucurella and Yves Bissouma.
And it is understood that they could be demanding as much as £100m for Caicedo, who cost them just £4.5m when they bought him from Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle two years ago.
Whether Arsenal would be willing to go that high remains to be seen, especially given they have only just signed Leandro Trossard from Brighton for an initial £21m plus up to £5m in add-ons.
The Gunners have also bought Polish defender Jakub Kiwior for an initial £17.5m from Spezia.
Arteta has been given the green light to spend big this month and selling clubs are aware that they were willing to pay as much as £88m for winger Mykhailo Mudryk before he recently signed for Chelsea.
Everton’s Amadou Onana and Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi are both being monitored as potential alternatives if Arsenal can’t get Caicedo.
But they are expected to make at least one improved bid for the tough-tackling Ecuadorian World Cup star and are still hopeful a deal can be struck before the window closes.