Moises Caicedo signed, new captain appointed – What Chelsea need to do before Liverpool clash

football.london takes a look at Chelsea’s to-do list ahead of the start of the new 2023/24 season when Liverpool travel to Stamford Bridge in less than three weeks

There are now less than three weeks until Chelsea host Liverpool for their first Premier League game of the 2023/24 season at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues, now managed by Mauricio Pochettino, will be looking to start the season in perfect fashion as they look for a dramatic improvement from the dismal 2022/23 campaign. A 12th place finish for Chelsea means there will be no more European football next season. Although this is a blow for the club, it means they have more time to focus solely on the Premier League.

However, before Chelsea and Liverpool meet, the Blues still have three pre-season games to play and plenty of transfer deals to do.

Chelsea will complete their tour of the United States over the next few weeks while trying to attract several new players to the club as the club continues its rebuilding. The club are still in talks with Brighton over a deal to sign Moises Caicedo. Chelsea’s latest offer of around £70million has been turned down by the Seagulls, who are still waiting for more to sign the Ecuadorian.

Caicedo himself, who has made it clear he wants to join Stamford Bridge this summer, has been told by Brighton he can leave if he receives the right offer. football.london understands that Chelsea are preparing a third offer to try to land the 21-year-old, with the next few days proving crucial in a transfer saga.

Pochettino is keen on signing Caicedo as he looks to bolster his midfield options following the departures of N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Players such as Andrey Santos and Cesare Casadei have both impressed in their two pre-season fixtures so far, but whether they will be loaned out for next season remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, the Blues remain interested in Lyon’s Rayan Cherki. As football.london reported earlier this month, initial contact had been made between Chelsea and representatives of the 19-year-old about a possible transfer and it was made clear to the Blues that Cherki would be open to a move to Stamford Bridge.

However, the French club are determined to keep Cherki beyond the summer transfer window. That said, they still aren’t ruling out the sale of the France Under-21 international if the right amount of money comes his way. However, there is no progress in Cherki at the moment and despite initial interest Chelsea have not made any concrete offers for the player or Lyon.

Michael Olise is a name that has been mentioned a lot on social media in the last 24 hours. Football.london know the Crystal Palace winger is someone Chelsea have valued for a long time, so a move wouldn’t be unusual for him.

These are just some of the names that will see plenty of movement over the next three weeks before Chelsea meet Pochettino in their competitive opener against Liverpool. However, the Argentine is yet to name a permanent captain following Cesar Azpilicueta’s departure earlier this month.

At the moment, Thiago Silva appears to be the favorite to receive the full-time armband, but there have also been some call-ups for Reece James. By the time Liverpool come to West London, there must surely be one.

We’re not even halfway through Chelsea’s pre-season plan, but the Premier League kick-off is just around the corner. There isn’t too much time to complete this “to do list”, but they will be working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure it actually happens.