'Heartbeat' – Alan Shearer singles out Brighton World Cup star amid '£85m' Newcastle, Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid link

Alan Shearer has been impressed with Brighton's star midfielder Moises Caicedo who has performed well in the Premier League this season

Moises Caicedo has been excellent following his £4.5m move to Brighton and has adapted to the Premier League in style. He was introduced towards the end of last season by then head coach Graham Potter and helped Albion to a record ninth place finish.

The Ecuador international has been a mainstay of the Brighton midfield since and helped the club cushion the blow of losing Yves Bissouma, who left for Tottenham last summer in a £30m deal.

His mature and powerful performances has been enough to attract the attentions of Newcastle, Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid – with dizzying figures of £85m being mentioned.

The 21-year-old has played every Premier League game for new Albion coach Roberto De Zerbi and also started for Ecuador in the 2-0 win against Qatar in yesterday's World Cup opener.

Shearer was on pundit duty for the BBC and was impressed with Caicedo's display against the Qataris.

"He's going to be a top player and he could be one that really stands out," said Shearer. "He's only 21 and he's the heartbeat of this young side.

"He made his debut two years ago and the manager asked him to man-mark Lionel Messi which tells you the trust he has in him. He can do a little bit of everything, he's athletic, he can tackle, he can pass, he can read the game. Scores one or two goals.

"What's also important is that he's got a really good link-up with his Brighton teammate down the left-hand-side, Estupinian, and they're strong down there.

"That's one to keep an eye on, they understand each other's game and link up well.”