Chelsea trying to gazump Manchester United for teenager Moises Caicedo?

Manchester United have been strongly linked with a move for Ecuador’s hottest prospect, Moises Caicedo, but Chelsea are reportedly in the picture as well. According to the Daily Mail, the Blues have made a late entry to the race, despite local outlets in Ecuador claiming that Man Utd have already reached an agreement with Independiente del Valle to sign the 19-year-old for a reported £4.5m.

Caicedo, who’s a central midfielder by trade, has already made his debut for the Ecuador national team in October at the tender age of 18, adding three more caps since. At club level, Caicedo has made 31 appearances to date for Independiente del Valle, scoring 6 goals and adding 2 assists.

Caicedo recently became the first player born in the 21st century to score in a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier and is often described as a juxtaposition of Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté, which is indeed high praise for someone who only made his senior-level debut in 2019.

Alongside Chelsea and Manchester United, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion, AC Milan and RB Leipzig have all been apparently monitoring the teenager’s progress, with the Blues reportedly holding talks with intermediaries, even.

At Manchester United, Caicedo will be expected to fill in Paul Pogba’s boots in the long-term, and while there is no immediate need for him at Chelsea, there is no such thing as having too much talent, right? (And also because unfortunately for all of us, Kanté will be on the other side of 30 in March.)