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The Ecuador international is Chelsea’s top midfield target for the summer window but their latest offer of £70m has been rejected by Brighton.
It’s understood that Brighton are holding out for a fee in the region of £100m and are using Arsenal’s £105m deal with West Ham for Declan Rice as a benchmark.
According to MailOnline, Chelsea are not giving up following their latest setback and intend to return with an offer worth £80m plus further bonuses.
The report also claims that Chelsea are considering signing a new central defender to cover for Wesley Fofana, who will be sidelined for several monthsafter undergoing surgery on a knee injury.
Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino has stressed the urgency for Chelsea to bring in new signings before the new Premier League season begins.
‘I want the right profiles, the right players, to arrive and improve the squad,’ Pochettino said.
‘Of course, as soon as possible is better than later. Today is better than tomorrow. We need to work really hard on the targets we have. We know it’s difficult. We have a very young squad.
‘It is a challenge. It is something we knew when we accepted being in charge of this club. Nothing to complain about, it is a really exciting moment.
‘We are confident we can build a really good squad that is ready to compete in the Premier League. We are still working to finish it.’
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