Man Utd missed out £4.5m Caicedo transfer

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 17 Mar 2023 09:45 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United missed out on signing Moises Caicedo before he made the move to Brighton.

The Red Devils are looking for a central midfielder for the upcoming transfer window - and the Seagulls player is certainly an option. Man Utd will have to fend off plenty of rival interest, however, if they were to bring in the Premier League ace to Old Trafford.

Despite seemingly destined for a move away from the south coast over the January transfer window, the midfielder ended up remaining at the Amex Stadium, even signing fresh terms with the club.

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Caicedo moved to Brighton from Independiente del Valle in 2021, putting pen to paper over a four-year deal. The 21-year-old has slowly become one of the best midfielders in the league, drumming up the interest of Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Newcastle.

Brighton had knocked back two bids from Arsenal in the summer and his new deal means his value has shot up ahead of the summer window.

Caicedo's Man Utd dream

But Caicedo has previously admitted that he wanted to join Man Utd when he was playing in Ecuador. He opened up about his ‘dream’ to play at the Theatre of Dreams, following in the footsteps of compatriot Antonio Valencia.

Valencia played for the northwest side for a span of ten years - winning two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups, and the Europa League.

The former wing-back even won the prestigious Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year for his efforts in the 2011–12 season.

And, speaking in the summer of 2020, Caicedo cited the example of Valencia as a reason of why he would love to join Man Utd: “My dream is to play for Manchester United. Antonio Valencia is an example to follow. 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.”