Man United are set to make a ‘formal approach’ to Brighton for £80m-rated Moises Caicedo this week… with Erik ten Hag frustrated at Chelsea amid impasse in pursuit of Mason Mount
- Manchester United are interested in Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo
- Erik ten Hag is determined to add to his midfield during this summer window
- A pursuit of Mason Mount has so far seen three bids rejected for Man United
Manchester United will reportedly step up interest in Moises Caicedo by making a formal approach to Brighton this week for the £80million-rated midfielder.
Erik ten Hag has made no secret of his desire to upgrade his options in midfield, with Mason Mount and Declan Rice two targets.
Ten Hag is a fan of Ecuador international Caicedo and with United at an impasse with Chelsea having had three bids rejected for Mason Mount, Sky Sports have now claimed a formal approach for Caicedo is imminent.
Chelsea had a £60m bid for Caicedo rejected earlier this month and have long been considered favourites to finally land the 21-year-old .
Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi told Caicedo he would allow him to leave if an important club made an offer when the Seagulls turned down bids last January and tied him to a new contract.
Manchester United will reportedly make a formal approach to Brighton for Moises Caicedo
Caicedo is seen as a complete midfielder with impressive statistics in both attack and defence
United are unlikely to sign both Mount and Caicedo, though a deal for one midfielder will certainly be done this transfer window.
On the Mount front, United have tabled a £55million bid for the 24-year-old, who has a year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge and is not expected to sign a new deal.
United believe their valuation of Mount is fair, given his contractual situation and the fact the midfielder is keen to move to Old Trafford.
However, Chelsea have indicated they will only accept an offer of £58m plus another £7m in add-ons, which could open up the door for United to go after Caicedo instead.
The arrival of Caicedo would unquestionably improve United’s defensive solidity and structure upon their return to the Champions League, and he would likely form a double pivot alongside Casemiro.
According to Opta, the Ecuadorian outperformed United’s Christian Eriksen in several key metrics last season.
When measured per 90 minutes, Caicedo completed more successful passes (56.2 to 51.3), made significantly more tackles (2.9 to 1.0), achieved more interceptions (1.6 to 0.5), won possession more (7.1 to 6.6) and even created more chances from open play (1.2 to 1.0).
His arrival could free up the Dane to play further forward and add to their options in attack alongside Fernandes and Marcus Rashford behind a potential new striker.
Rice was viewed as another player who could fill that role but with Arsenal producing an offer of £105m to West Ham for the England star, United will have little to no interest given their £120m transfer kitty this summer.
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