Arsenal transfer news: Gunners' £70m bid for Moises Caicedo rejected by Brighton

Arsenal have had their fresh £70m bid for midfielder Moises Caicedo rejected by Brighton.

Brighton remain adamant that the midfielder is not for sale in January, with the window set to shut on Tuesday at 11pm.

Had the Seagulls accepted Arsenal's latest offer for the 21-year-old it would have been a club-record transfer, surpassing the £60m sale of Marc Cucurella to Chelsea in the summer.

The Gunners also had their initial £60m offer for Caicedo rejected, which prompted the Colombia international to plead with Brighton to let him leave and join the Premier League leaders in a statement on social media.

Caicedo, who said to Brighton's official website that he was focused solely on his current club just last week, was told to stay away from training with the Seagulls until after Tuesday's transfer deadline following his Instagram post.

Leandro Trossard has already swapped Brighton for Arsenal in the current window in a deal worth £27m.

Arsenal are in the market for a new midfielder due to concerns about squad depth, a suspected long-term injury to Mohamed Elneny and a new fitness worry over Thomas Partey who was replaced at half-time during Friday's FA Cup defeat at Manchester City.

Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi wants Caicedo to stay at Brighton until the end of the season but says the club are "ready to go forward without him".

"Caicedo is a very good guy and I can understand him," said De Zerbi after Sunday's last-gasp FA Cup fourth-round win over Liverpool.

"When you are 21 and you receive the request of a big team, they are playing in European competition, I can understand."

Asked if he was surprised by Caicedo's social media post, De Zerbi added: Yes, yes I was. I'm not sure if it was him if you know what I mean..."

Pressed on if he thought Caicedo had been influenced by others, De Zerbi said: "Yes, I think so."

Caicedo's Instagram post read: "I am grateful to Mr Bloom and Brighton for giving me the chance to come to the Premier League and I feel I have always done my best for them. I always play football with a smile and with heart.

"I am the youngest of 10 siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo in Ecuador. My dream always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador.

"I am proud to be able to bring in a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to be successful.

"The fans have taken me into their hearts and they will always be in my heart so I hope they can understand why I want to take up this magnificent opportunity."

Caicedo said on Brighton's official website earlier this week that he was focused solely on his current club.

Trossard has already swapped Brighton for Arsenal in the current window in a deal worth a £27m, but Brighton are determined to keep hold of Caicedo.

At just 21, Caceido also offers a long-term solution and investment and would drop the Gunners' league-low average age even lower. But he has experience, too - collecting 28 senior caps for his nation and impressing at the World Cup in Qatar.