A large part of Manchester United’s recent transfer policy has involved signing highly-rated teenagers from all over the world and then putting them in the club’s academy, in hopes of turning them into Premier League quality players.
It was perhaps with this aim that they had scouted Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian wonderkid has made quite the splash on both club and international level despite being just 19 years of age. Thus, it was no wonder that the Red Devils wanted him.
For months, it was believed that they were in control of the transfer situation with Caicedo also appearing to prefer a switch to Old Trafford. Things have changed significantly since then though and now, it looks like Brighton and Hove Albion have swooped in to get a deal done.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano confirmed the news on his Twitter earlier:
Moises Caicedo is set to join Brighton, confirmed. He’s ready to sign his contract for five years - €6m to Independiente del Valle. 🇪🇨
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 23, 2021
Moises is expected in Brighton in the next hours to complete paperworks as new #bhafc player. Never been a ‘done deal’ with Man Utd. 🔵 https://t.co/eJF7RNhqkK
Have Manchester United made a transfer mistake?
Caicedo is believed to be a very bright prospect and has already found a place in the Ecuador national side. He also became the first player born in the 21st century to score in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers when he found the back of the net against Uruguay. Not bad for a central midfielder!
He has also represented Independiente del Valle on 31 occasions already, scoring 6 goals and providing 2 assists. And when he was being linked with a move to Manchester United, many described as a potential future replacement for Paul Pogba.
To be very honest, it is hard to understand why the Red Devils decided to pull the plug on the move all of a sudden. It had looked like they were in the driver’s seat for a long time before deciding that they were not going to sign Caicedo.
It cannot be his transfer fee because that is not very high in the current market. Perhaps, the club just felt that they did not need another central midfielder.