Manchester United will have to pay up to £70m to prise Moises Caicedo away from Brighton

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Manchester United will have to pay up to £70m to prise Moises Caicedo away from Brighton & Hove Albion, according to The Sun.

The twenty-time league champions missed out on signing the 21-year-old for £4.5m back in January 2021 from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle.

It was the Seagulls who were convinced that they were getting a bargain for the Ecuador international, and it’s proven to be yet another shrewd piece of business at the Amex Stadium.

But unfortunately for the Red Devils, it’s yet more evidence that the club’s recruitment and scouting departments need significant improvement.

Caicedo couldn’t fire Ecuador to the World Cup round of 16, but he did score his first World Cup goal in Qatar and that’ll naturally add to his price tag.

Manchester United will have to pay up to £70m to prise Moises Caicedo away from Brighton

As the Seagulls have shown in recent years with the sales of Ben White, Yves Bissouma and Marc Cucurella, they will only allow one of their star players to leave if their hefty valuations are met.

Caicedo’s contract at the Amex expires in 2025 so Brighton are under no pressure to accept a deal below their asking price.

While Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg recently revealed that the Red Devils were ready to enter the race for Caicedo, pursuing the 28-time Ecuador international only currently seems plausible if the club are unsuccessful once again in the pursuits of Jude Bellingham or Frenkie de Jong.

Casemiro has only been at Old Trafford for a matter of months, and while it’s potentially a daunting and impossible task in finding a long-term replacement for the Brazilian serial winner – Caicedo could well already be on that list earmarked by Erik ten Hag.

Manchester United aren’t the only top side interested in Caicedo, and it does seem that the South American will secure a big money move by the summer at the latest.

But had United’s scouting and recruitment team been up to the standard Brighton’s has shown in recent years, Caicedo could well have already been at Old Trafford learning from both Ten Hag and Casemiro.

However, as so often has been the case since Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill left the club, United’s recruitment has left a lot to be desired and if interest in Caicedo is reignited, then the Busby Babes face the prospect of paying 15 times more than what he could have been signed him for two years ago.