Moises Caicedo's Chelsea shirt number is revealed with British record £115m signing from Brighton to follow in footsteps of Blues legend Moises Caicedo will wear the No 25 shirt with blessing of Gianfranco Zola No player has worn the shirt since legendary Italian left the club 20 years ago Chelsea's new record signing took part in first training session on Wednesday By David Wood for MailOnline Published: 20:39, 16 August 2023 | Updated: 21:34, 16 August 2023 e-mail 6 View comments Chelsea 's new record signing Moises Caicedo contacted Blues legend Gianfranco Zola to request his iconic shirt number 25 following his record £115million move. The Ecuador international midfielder took part in his first training session at the club's training ground at Cobham on Wednesday. He has signed an eight-year contract until 2031 and the Blues have the option to extend it by a further year until 2032. Caicedo was keen to keep hold of the No 25 shirt he wore at Brighton , but the number has sentimental value at Stamford Bridge because no player has worn it since legendary Italian forward Gianfranco Zola left the club 20 years ago. After arriving in west London, Caicedo contacted the Italian to see if he would be happy to let him wear the No. 25 shirt for Chelsea. Moises Caicedo will wear the No 25 shirt with the blessing of Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola Chelsea's new record signing took part in his first training session on Wednesday 'I'm so proud to wear this number,' said Caicedo. 'I spoke with Gianfranco Zola, and he gave me his blessing. 'I know how much this number means. I chose it because it is a very special number to me and my family. 'I want to create a lot of memories for Chelsea with this number on my back.' In response the former Italy international said: 'Thank you for the message Moises. I hope it will bring to you as many pleasures as it brought to me. Good luck.' Zola played for Chelsea between 1996 and 2003, registering 80 goals across 312 appearances and won various trophies – including two FA Cup triumphs. The midfielder was in quickly into the action at the club's training ground at Cobham He said: ''Thank you for the message, Moises. 'I hope it will bring to you as many pleasures as it brought to me. Good luck.' Caicedo is set to make his debut on Sunday as Mauricio Pochettino's side travel across London to face West Ham. The Blues were held to a 1-1 draw in their opening game of the new Premier League season against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. Share or comment on this article: Moises Caicedo's Chelsea shirt number is revealed with British record £115m signing from Brighton to follow in footsteps of Blues legend e-mail Add comment Comments 6 Share what you think Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all The comments below have not been moderated. View all The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Add your comment Enter your comment By posting your comment you agree to our house rules . Submit Comment Clear Close Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. No Yes Close Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy .