Tim Vickery has declared to Sky Sports News that Moises Caicedo is going to Manchester United, despite being a potential transfer prospect for Chelsea.
The BBC Sport’s South American Correspondent revealed that the 19-year-old star was “locked in” for a move to Old Trafford, regardless of the Blues interest.
El Telegraph reported that Chelsea, Ajax and United had all made approaches for the Ecuadorian, with Vickery announcing that the latter was now front of the queue for his signature.
He went on to describe what fans could expect to see from the sort-after talent, and even suggested that the youngster already offers more than Chelsea’s very own Ngolo Kante.
“The way the market is going with South American footballers, European clubs want to take them young, as early as possible, so they are buying on promise. This fella Moises Caicedo is already much more than a promise, he’s a reality,” Vickery purred in his appraisal.
“He’s (Caicedo) a terrific athlete who makes football make easy. A box to box midfielder who a year ago, was saying Kante of Chelsea was his role model. He’s already more than that, he offers more in the final third.
“That box to box midfielder, very much in the tradition of the English game. Strong, quick, intelligent, cool, he really does look like the genuine article.”
Caicedo currently plays his football in the Argentinian Primera Division with Independiente, his first senior club, making 31 appearances and scoring six goals.
He became the first player born in the 21st century to score in South America’s World Cup qualifying campaign, putting his name on the radar of European giants like Chelsea and United.
Planet Football reported that Caicedo admitted to basing his game around N’Golo Kante, which will have been music to the ears of Blues supporters.
However, it seems that their transfer chase is set to end in disappointment after Vickery’s latest update.
The Chronicle view
Going by Vickery’s words, this could be a brilliant signing for United if they pull it off.
However, it seems outlandish to suggest that the youngster already offers more than Kante, who is unquestionably one of the outstanding midfielders in world football.
Chelsea may not be too upset about missing out on Caicedo either, given the options we have in our current squad.
The Blues are pretty stacked in the midfield department, and with Billy Gilmour coming through, Caicedo may have been kept in reserves for a while if he had signed on at Stamford Bridge.
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