According to reports, Manchester United is prepared to rekindle its interest in Moises Caicedo of Brighton and Hove Albion, despite having already passed up the chance to buy the talented midfielder.
What’s new with Caicedo moving to Manchester United?
Sam Dean, a writer, reports that a number of Premier League teams, including the Old Trafford club, are interested in recruiting the 21-year-old this summer, however any move is expected to cost more than £70 million.
Brighton will seek much more than £70 million for Moises Caicedo this summer, the reliable source wrote on Twitter. Liverpool might yet get involved, depending on the final price, in addition to Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United who have all expressed interest.
Despite the Ecuadorian superstar having just signed a new long-term contract earlier this year, Dean writes in the attached article for The Telegraph that the Seagulls are ‘ready’ to let him depart the Amex before the start of the following season.
Must Man United acquire Caicedo?
It would certainly be a long time coming if United were to sign the 5 foot 10 sensation this summer, as the club pulled out of a deal to sign the then-teenager from Independiente de Valle back in 2021 because the deal became too “messy,” according to Manchester Evening News, before the exciting prospect joined Brighton for just £4.5 million.
The Red Devils’ choice to not pursue a trade for Caicedo now seems to have been a mistake, as the midfield “jewel” has recently developed into a dominant force on the south coast, earning the praise of historian Enrico Castro-Montes.
Given his exceptional potential and his appearance as a player with “no limit,” manager Roberto De Zerbi stated that the former Beerschot loanee may “become one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and in Europe.”
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Due to his relative youth and 30-cap brilliance, Caicedo would not only be a player Erik ten Hag could build his team around over the next few years, but the Dutchman’s answer to Declan Rice, as the two are said to have many statistical and stylistic similarities, according to FBref.
The West Ham United captain has been mentioned as a potential target for Ten Hag this summer, though a reported valuation of around £100m is likely to prove something of a stumbling block. Rival club Arsenal is also thought to be “leading the race” for his services right now, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The discovery of Caicedo as a potential replacement for the 24-year-old could thus be a major coup. The two players share a creative, front-foot quality from the centre of the field, as evidenced by the fact that the Englishman recorded 240 progressive passes in the league in 2022–23 while the Seagulls star recorded 219 for the same metric.
The dominating pair have also shown themselves to be particularly adept at regaining possession for their respective teams; Rice is in the top 5% and Caicedo is among his European peers’ top 11% in interceptions, respectively.
This resemblance is further demonstrated by the fact that, although the older player averaged 3.8 tackles and interceptions per game in the top division this season, the younger player was just slightly ahead after averaging 4.2 per game for the same stats under De Zerbi.
That would imply that even if Rice—hailed by ex-United player Paul Parker as the “best central midfielder in the country”—proves to be unachievable this summer, turning to Caicedo may enable Ten Hag to discover his own version of the West Ham machine.
