Mauricio Pochettino has approved Chelsea's plan to sign Premier League midfielder this summer - Reports

Incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly already approved Chelsea's plans of signing Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo in the summer.

Caicedo has been one of the Premier League's best defensive midfielders this season. He has been a crucial part of Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton side, who have qualified for European football for the first time in their history.

According to journalist Simon Phillips, the Blues are looking to sign Caicedo in the summer. He wrote on the Talk Chelsea Substack:

“A new number six has remained a priority for Chelsea this summer for some months now, and that has not changed/ will not be changing under Mauricio Pochettino. He [Pochettino] has communicated that he wants a new six as priority, and the double pivot in his system is the most important position."

He added:

"Yesterday I was told by a top source that Chelsea have placed Caicedo as their number one priority for midfield this summer. This has been approved by the decision-makers and Pochettino, They want Caicedo and will move for him very soon.”

Caicedo, 21, has made 41 appearances across competitions for Brighton this season. He was linked with a move to Arsenal in January but the Seagulls rejected two bids from the Gunners.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have had a dismal campaign this season and will miss out on the Premier League top 10. The club are expected to go through a rebuilding process in the summer. Pochettino is expected to take over as the manager (via Fabrizio Romano).

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Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek reacted to the defeat against Manchester City

The Blues suffered a 1-0 defeat in their latest Premier League clash against Manchester City on May 21, with Julian Alvarez scoring for City. With the Premier League title already in the bag, Pep Guardiola named a second-string lineup.

Frank Lampard's side, however, were unable to take advantage of that. Ruben Loftus-Cheek reacted to the defeat, telling the media after the game (via the Blues' website):

'You know what can happen here if they’re on their game and on fire. They can really dismantle teams. City were fantastic this season, even when it doesn’t look like they will win the league they always find a way. That is the kind of ruthlessness we want to get back to because we have had that."

He further added:

"City weren’t at their brilliant best but they still posed a threat and we made it difficult for them. A mistake for the goal can happen but other than that I think we had most the chances and for the most part, challenged them. It was a decent performance. We didn’t have that finishing touch at the end but we played some good football at times and defended well. It’s one of those and it is why they are champions."

The Blues have two games remaining in their underwhelming season - Manchester United away on May 25 and Newcastle United at home on May 28. They are currently 12th in the league table and will certainly finish in the bottom half.