Pranav Nair
Manchester United beaten to Ecuadorian wonderkid Moises Caicedo
According to the Transfer Window Podcast (h/t Duncan Castles), Manchester United are set to miss out on Ecuadorian wonderkid Moises Caicedo.
United have been heavily linked with a move for the 19-year-old. Although the club made a move to land him in December, they have been unable to reach an agreement to secure his services.
With the Red Devils now stepping away, Brighton appear to have won the race to land the midfielder.
Interestingly, it would appear that the Seagulls are landing Caicedo for just €5.5m. It is in contrast to the €10m United were asked to fork out to sign him. (h/t Eurosport)
A number of clubs were keen on securing Caicedo this January. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano had revealed at the weekend that Brighton had a bid accepted for the player.
He dismissed the notion that Caicedo to United was a done deal despite the club being the player’s choice. Having already brought in Amad Diallo for a massive £37m, it is somewhat curious why we did not snap up Caicedo for a fraction of that amount.
The 19-year-old Ecuadorian recently expressed his ambition to “one day be in the elite of world football”. He also went on to state that Manchester United is his “favourite club”. (h/t Mirror)
While Brighton is not an elite team, they can surely act as a stepping stone for one of Europe’s big boys to eventually land him. The player will be loaned out to Union Saint-Galloise, who are currently top of the Belgian second division.
Time will tell whether passing on Caicedo was an opportunity lost.
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Caicedo had earlier admitted to looking up to United superstar Paul Pogba among others. He can play as a box-to-box midfielder and also as a defensive midfielder. (h/t Daily Record)
A full international with Ecuador, he has already made four appearances for his country, scoring one goal.
