Emmanuel Petit has warned Chelsea there are 15 players they should sell before even considering letting Moises Caicedo leave this summer.
The most expensive player in the history of British football endured a difficult first season following his move to Stamford Bridge from Brighton.
After rejecting a move toLiverpool, Caicedo was expected to form a potential title-winning central midfield partnership with fellow £100million man Enzo Fernandez.
Instead, the pair struggled to justify their hefty price tags but Caicedo’s improvement under Enzo Maresca this season has been one of the most encouraging aspects of the Italian’s tenure so far.
The Ecuador international has, however, been targeted by Saudi Arabia Pro League club Al-Nassr who would comfortably be able to ensure Chelsea make a profit on their most expensive signing to date.
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Former Chelsea midfielder Petit has urged the key decision makers at Chelsea to resist any offer for a player who he believes is central to any hope they retain of challenging for top honours again.
‘My message to Chelsea is, do not sell Moises Caicedo,’ Petit told Pokerfirma.
‘He is one of Chelsea’s best players and is showing why they spent so much money on him, Chelsea will need to sell but there are about 15 players who should go before Caicedo does.
‘The biggest problem Chelsea will have is if Caicedo goes to the board and says he wants to leave, it will create a big fight and be a real problem.
‘But even if it’s £100million, Chelsea should sell 15 other players before looking at offers for Caicedo.’
Petit, meanwhile, has been encouraged by the performances of Brazilian youngster Andrey Santos who has impressed on loan at Strasbourg this season and should provide Maresca with another top class midfield option next season.
He added: ‘Andrey Santos can score goals, he can create goals, he can defend, he can link the defence to the forward and he can control games.
‘Technically he’s a very good player and he has improved a lot since last season. I think he has shown so much maturity and personality this season and that’s why Strasbourg are fighting for a European place.
‘He’s very young, he’s only 20 years old. So should he stay one more season at Strasbourg? Maybe. But I think if he leaves Strasbourg, he should go back to Chelsea.
‘Honestly, he could be very important for Chelsea, especially in midfield. He can fix a weakness.
‘I think Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez have been working very hard together but I think they’re missing one more player in midfield and Santos could be the answer.’