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Analysis
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Romano confirms surprise 'next Caicedo' agreement after Chelsea approach
Tom Weber
- Updated: 25 Feb 2026 11:21 GMT
- 6 min read
News
Chelsea are set to surprisingly miss out on the signing of Independiente del Valle youngster Patrik Mercado to Sevilla, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed.
The 22-year-old has established himself as the latest hugely promising prospect to come out of Ecuador's biggest talent factory. Independiente have produced the likes of Moises Caicedo, Kendry Paez, Piero Hincapie and Joel Ordonez in recent years.
An attack-minded midfielder by trade, Mercado already has more than a century of senior appearances under his belt, although his offensive output still needs to improve. He has only scored 11 goals and provided 13 assists in 111 matches.
Nevertheless, Mercado is already a senior Ecuador international and is fully expected to feature for his country at the World Cup this summer, where they will face the Ivory Coast, Curacao and Germany in the group stage.
His rise to prominence has not gone unnoticed. In recent months, reports in Ecuador and elsewhere in South America have associated Chelsea with a potential move for Mercado, and this was recently confirmed. However, the Blues have now missed out on his signature.
Mercado to join Sevilla
According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Sevilla have agreed a deal with Independiente for Mercado to join the club after the World Cup this summer. All the paperwork has already been completed, and an official announcement is expected shortly.
Given that Mercado is under contract at Independiente until 2027, Sevilla will pay a transfer fee, but Romano did not disclose how much the Andalusians have agreed to spend on the 22-year-old.
Sevilla, of course, have endured well-documented financial struggles in recent years, which turned them from perennial Europa League winners into a mid-table and occasionally relegation-threatened LaLiga side. They certainly won't have outbid Chelsea.
Indeed, ABC Sevilla reveals that significant steps will have to be taken before Mercado can actually be registered and play for the Spanish club. Not only will they have to get players off their wage bill before his arrival, they will also need to free up a non-EU spot in the summer.
The latter prevented them from signing him in January. Former Arsenal and Man Utd attacker Alexis Sanchez, who is likely to depart after the season, compatriot Gabriel Suazo and Brazilian defender Marcao, who is trying to obtain a Spanish passport, are currently occupying Sevilla's non-EU spots.
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