Brighton signed Carlos Baleba in a £23.2m deal from Lille (Getty)

Roberto De Zerbi believes new Brighton signing Carlos Baleba can become the next Moises Caicedo.

Brighton signed Caicedo in a £4.5 million deal in 2021 and just over two years later, registered a huge profit as they sold the 21-year-old to Chelsea for a British record £115m.

De Zerbi’s side moved quickly to sign a replacement as they landed Baleba from Lille for £23.2m.

And the Brighton manager believes the 19-year-old midfielder can reach the same level as Caicedo.

Baleba is a really good player, he’s not started yet with us but he can become an important player for us this season,

Brighton sold Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for a British record £115m (Shutterstock)

He will show his quality, for sure, he’s the right player for us, for our policy, for our club.

Asked if he believes Baleba is a direct replacement for Caicedo, De Zerbi said: ‘I think he’s very close with Moises.

‘Different because all players are different but he has the same quality, the same characteristics.

‘He can become as good a player as Moises Caicedo.’

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‘He has the same quality, the same characteristics.’