Arsenal will launch Declan Rice move in the summer even if they sign Moises Caicedo

Arsenal’s pursuit of Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo will not stop them trying to sign Declan Rice in the summer, with the club keen to add both players to Mikel Arteta’s squad.

Arsenal had a £60 million bid for Caicedo rejected this week and remain focused on signing the 21-year-old this month, provided a deal can be agreed with Brighton.

But Telegraph Sport understands the swoop for Caicedo, and the potential cost of the move for the Ecuador international, will not have any impact on Arsenal’s pursuit of Rice as their top summer target.

Arsenal are keen to dramatically strengthen their midfield in the medium and long-term, with Caicedo and Rice regarded as the ideal players to provide competition for Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey.

The need for midfield reinforcements this month has been made more pressing by an injury suffered by Mohamed Elneny, while there is uncertainty over the future of backup midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga.

Caicedo did not train with Brighton on Saturday, ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Liverpool in the FA Cup.

Such is the midfielder’s desire to leave Brighton this month, he even chose to post a statement on social media on Friday night in which he publicly expressed his desire to change clubs.

“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 to continue to be successful,” Caicedo said on social media.

“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.”

As reported earlier this month, Arsenal are understood to be growing in confidence that they will be able to secure a deal for Rice at the end of this campaign.

The potential move for Rice could be worth around £70m, although the price of the player remains to be seen – with Chelsea possibly competing for his signature in the summer.

Chelsea have also shown interest in Caicedo this month, and have also had a bid rejected by Brighton.

Brighton’s public stance is that the player, who in recent months has emerged as one of the Premier League’s brightest young talents, is not for sale.

Both Rice and Caicedo fit into Arsenal’s recruitment model of targeting young players with proven quality and potential to improve over time.