Brighton have rebuffed Arsenal’s second bid for Caicedo, thought to be in the region of £70million and told Mikel Arteta’s side the Ecuador international is not for sale.
Caicedo informed Brighton in an open letter of his desire to leave the south coast club, and has since been told to take time off until after Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
The Gunners are in the market for a new midfielder to consolidate their title challenge, with the club some five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Indeed, the desire for reinforcements was sharpened after fringe midfielder Mohamed Elneny suffered a knee injury last week.
Ornstein’s Caicedo update
Ornstein, the Athletic’s transfer guru, claimed the Gunners are desperate to sign a midfielder in the next two days.
However, Brighton have been steadfast in their insistence Caicedo will remain at Brighton beyond Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
