Liverpool's $148M transfer collapsed at the last minute after boss sent letter to player

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Liverpool could have set a British transfer record well before the acquisition of Florian Wirtz, but Chelsea outmanoeuvred them in the race for Moises Caicedo despite agreeing to a $148 million deal.

Arne Slot's side has invested heavily as their Premier League title defence gets underway, having already spent over $400M this summer.

With the Magpies signing $93M German forward Nick Woltemade, a bid in the region of $175M is reportedly on Liverpool's agenda.

Yet, long before Wirtz's record-breaking signing and the potentially record-setting acquisition of Isak, Liverpool made what seemed like a successful and unmatched bid for former Brighton midfielder Caicedo, only to be outdone by Premier League rivals Chelsea at the last minute, reports the Mirror.

The Ecuadorian, then just 21, had impressed for Brighton the previous year and seemed set for a summer move.

Liverpool launched their pursuit after three unsuccessful attempts for Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia, who ultimately moved to Chelsea during that transfer window.

"We always had meetings and we were surprised that suddenly they appeared with something [an offer] that they said that they couldn't do.

"The first thing we are told is, 'Tomorrow you have to go to Liverpool until you pass a medical examination.' Of course, what is our reaction going to be if we have not negotiated, we have not spoken, we have not seen anything.

"The problem was Brighton, but when they tell us tomorrow, 'You can go to Liverpool,' well, of course, the reaction is fine, but the funny thing is that they didn't tell us, they told us to undergo a medical with Liverpool without having an agreement, without having said, 'Yes' – even the club wrote to Moises, 'with permission from Brighton,' and so on, but our phone conversations were clear.

"We were clear, as long as Chelsea offered the same conditions that Liverpool could do with Brighton...

It is very complicated, imagine that Jurgen Klopp is writing to you, that Liverpool is calling you, we are talking about something very big, that is, one of the best teams in the world, just like Chelsea.

"When Liverpool came and approached in that way, obviously Moises gets dizzy, I get dizzy myself, but Chelsea were by our side at all times asking us to go, they wanted an hour so that we could tell Brighton, so that they could match the offer and they gave them an hour and it ended in two days of negotiation."

Klopp's team opted for a more affordable option in Wataru Endo, who set them back merely $21M

The Reds, whose midfield now features Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch, have managed perfectly well without Caicedo after claiming the Premier League title last year.

Slot's squad remains undefeated in the current campaign thus far, though they encounter an early stern examination against Arsenal this Sunday, whilst Caicedo and Chelsea welcome London neighbours Fulham on Saturday.