Moises Caicedo has left Albion – with thanks from Tony Bloom.

The Ecuador midfielder is heading to Chelsea for a fee understood to potentially reach £115 million.

He had seemingly been headed to Liverpool until Chelsea came in with an improved bid.

Speaking via Albion’s announcement of the transfer, club chairman Bloom said: “Moises expressed a strong desire to move on, and at that point it was crucial our valuation was met in full.

“I’d like to thank him for his exceptional performances for the club, and I wish him all the best going forward.”

Albion struck a £111 million deal with Liverpool in the early hours of Friday morning but Caicedo favoured a move to Stamford Bridge and wanted to be based in London.

Chief executive Paul Barber and David Weir handled negotiations for Albion as talks continued with Chelsea over the weekend, with Roberto De Zerbi fully focussed on the opening Premier League fixture versus Luton.

Technical director Weir said: “Chelsea are getting one of the top midfielders in the world. Moises has been one of our exceptional players over the past 18 months.

“We’d like to thank him for his performances for us, which helped this team to two record finishes in the Premier League, and we wish him well for the future.”