Moises Caicedo has already given his Carlos Baleba verdict amid rumours he could join Chelsea

It has been claimed that Chelsea are considering making a move for Baleba, who is also thought to be admired by Manchester United.

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Moises Caicedo a fan of Carlos Baleba

Baleba is a signing that Caicedo would approve of. The Ecuadorian has spoken about the 22-year-old in the past, putting him up there with Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch.

In an interview with Sky Sports earlier this year, Caicedo said: “I know Declan Rice, he is such a good player. The other player I like is Gravenberch. So good. So good.

“And Baleba as well. Both of them. They are so good. And yeah, I normally watch them when they play. So yeah, I enjoy when they play.”

Chelsea may be forced to look at other midfield options after having a £64m bid for Alex Scott rejected.

Scott wants to join Chelsea, but Bournemouth’s current stance is that the English youngster is not for sale.

The Club World Cup holders were at least able to have success in their pursuit of another English talent, Morgan Rogers.

On Tuesday, Chelsea announced the signing of Rogers from Aston Villa on a seven-year deal.

Carlos Baleba would make Chelsea’s midfield more solid

Before the World Cup and several interviews in which Enzo Fernandez made it clear that he would love to play for Real Madrid one day, Chelsea fans adored the Argentine.

However, one issue they have always had with him is how he performs off the ball. Fernandez is not the most mobile or quickest midfielder.

In a double pivot alongside Caicedo, that has been exploited at times. Defensively, a Caicedo and Baleba partnership would be much more solid.

Baleba is a defensive midfielder who is capable of thwarting attacks. According to FotMob, the Cameroon international made two tackles and 1.57 interceptions per game last season, which is not bad.

Chelsea supporters should not get too excited yet, though. Scott appears to be the club’s primary target for midfield, while Brighton could easily price Baleba out of a move. The Seagulls do not let any of their star players leave on the cheap.