Chelsea: Moisés Caicedo Transfer Saga Takes Dramatic Turn After Ecuadorian Rejects Liverpool's British-Record Bid in the Last Minute

One of the biggest summer transfers had taken quite a dramatic twist as the deadline approaches.

Brighton & Hove Albion defensive midfielder Moisés Caicedo was set to be bought by Liverpool for a British transfer fee record, with the Reds preparing to pay $141 million to acquire the services of the 21-year-old.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp himself confirmed the development on Friday.

"I can confirm the [Moises Caicedo] deal with the club is agreed, whatever that means in the end," Klopp told a news conference.

However, in a sensational turn of events a few hours later, the Ecuadorian player informed Liverpool that he prefers to join Premier League rivals Chelsea after agreeing to personal terms with the London-based club last May, as per Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano.

One of the rumored factors of Caicedo's choice to join Chelsea is his preference to play for a South American manager, with Argentine Mauricio Pochettino calling the shots for Chelsea as opposed to the German Klopp for Liverpool.

Brighton won't accept less than a British record

Brighton will reportedly not accept a fee less than the British record transfer fee worth $141 million that Liverpool previously offered for Caicedo.

Chelsea is willing to make the same bid, even going as far as calling off their deal with American midfielder Tyler Adams despite his medical tests already completed.

Brighton previously rejected Chelsea's $100 million bid for Caicedo last June.