Chelsea and Manchester United will be going neck to neck as the race to sign Moises Caicedo heats up.
Brighton star Caicedo seemingly has his heart set on the Old Trafford club as he has already revealed that it’s his dream to play for Manchester United, an admission that could seriously dampen Chelsea’s hopes of signing the player as the 21-year-old midfielder has all this while been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal had reportedly tried to sign Caicedo in January, having submitted two bids which were quickly rejected, according to football.london. Caicedo subsequently penned a new long-term deal a couple of months later which kept him at the Amex Stadium until 2027, despite having pushed for an exit.
Although the initial expectation has been that his extension would rule out any moves in the immediate future, that doesn’t seem to be the case now with Chelsea planning to make a move in the coming weeks. football.london understands that the Blues allegedly hold an interest in the Ecuadorian, despite his price tag of around £80m.
Chelsea were once in prime position to wrap up a deal for Caicedo after the Gunners turned their attention to Declan Rice. Spicing things up, Manchester City are now apparently joining in the chase for the West Ham captain while United have pulled out from the race for Mason Mount.
Erik ten Hag’s side are already gearing up to rival the Blues for the signing of Caicedo, reports The Times. Obviously the last thing Chelsea would not want to hear now is that the Brighton star dreams of moving to Old Trafford after having confirmed in a press conference during his time at Independiente del Valle that his dream is to represent the Red Devils.
“My dream is to play for Manchester United. Antonio Valencia is an example to follow,” he said, naming former United captain Antonio Valencia as an inspiration of his, as quoted by the Express.
“With his strength and dedication, he was able to get to that level. That motivates me to keep working hard and do the right things.”
Caicedo had been heavily linked with a move to United three-years ago – having been at the top of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s shortlist and was even offered a five-year deal – but the move fell through after the Glazers allegedly refused to sanction the £4.3million deal.
Unfortunately for United, Brighton swiftly swooped in and pounced on the star. Well, perhaps time around the Red Devils will finally get their man after all.