By Tam McManus

18th Mar, 2023 | 7:00am

Pundit drops 'unbelievable' Moises Caicedo claim after Arsenal source's £90m reveal

Arsenal should walk away from a deal for Moises Caicedo if Brighton have upped their asking price to £90million following his contract extension.

That is the view of former Hibernian striker Tam McManus, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about Arsenal’s ongoing interest in the Ecuadorian midfielder.

The Gunners pushed to sign Caicedo in January and saw a £70million bid rejected by Brighton, with the Premier League outfit adamant he was not for sale.

The 21-year-old has since put pen to paper on a new deal, keeping him at Brighton until 2027 with an option to extend for a further year.

Football Insider sources revealed last Tuesday (7 March) that Arsenal are still chasing Caicedo’s signature despite Brighton upping their asking price to over £90million.

McManus has questioned the “ridiculous” money being thrown around in the Premier League and insists Arsenal have better midfield options already at the club.

“The money in England is absolutely ridiculous, unbelievable – £90million for a Brighton player,” McManus told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.

“I don’t think he’s any better than what Arsenal already have.

“To be honest I look at Xhaka who’s been revived under Arteta – he’s been very, very good.

“I thought he was on his way out.

“Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard complete their midfield – Caicedo doesn’t play ahead of any of them for me, and then they have Jorginho too.

“I think for that sort of money Arsenal need somebody who is going to come in and improve the team immediately.

“They were talking around half that price before the contract was signed, so now he’s pledged his future to Brighton I’d walk away from negotiations if I was Arsenal.“

In other news, Arsenal set sights on signing Inter Milan star this summer