Manchester United’s midfield saga: Mason Mount to Moises Caicedo

Manchester United have reportedly pivoted their interests to Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo after a third bid was rejected by Chelsea for Mason Mount.

United have been looking at bolstering their midfield this summer and it is understood that Erik ten Hag is a big fan of Mount. The 24-year-old England International is out of contract with boyhood club Chelsea next summer and has made it clear that he won’t be signing a new deal. Mount is said to have agreed on personal terms with United and is ready to join once the two clubs have decided on the fee. Chelsea are demanding upwards of £60 million for Mount, which is more than United are willing to pay considering the player’s contract situation and the budget for the club this summer.

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Mount would likely slot into United’s starting XI replacing Christian Eriksen and providing more energy and intensity in the midfield, allowing the team to be more solid when out of possession. Mount is a solid progressor of the ball who likes to receive on the half turn and carry the ball forward and Ten Hag could look to use him in a similar role to Frenkie De Jong in his Ajax sides. The Chelsea midfielder’s set-piece delivery will also be when replacing Eriksen as United scored a fair number of goals from dead-ball situations last season.

In light of their third bid being rejected reports have emerged that United are exploring Moises Caicedo as an option for their midfield. Caicedo has been linked with United before with a deal reportedly being close in January 2021 before the Ecuadorian moved to Brighton. Caicedo would be a more expensive option with his price said to be around £80-100m. Currently, Chelsea are considered front runners to sign the Brighton midfielder but United are said to be intensifying their efforts to explore a deal and preparing a bid soon as reported yesterday by Jonathan Northcroft from The Times.

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Caicedo could also start alongside Casemiro in United’s midfield. The Ecuadorian International has proven to be excellent in the first phase of play, building up play under pressure in Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton side. Caicedo is a great ball-winner and his physicality allows him to get up and down the pitch quickly as a box-to-box midfielder if needed. Under De Zerbi last season, Caicedo played a variety of different roles; Inverted fullback, lone defensive midfielder, and box-to-box midfielder to name a few. Signing Caicedo would give Erik ten Hag’s side more flexibility and would help them to be more unpredictable next season.

Mount and Caicedo seem to be United’s main targets in midfield this summer and the club will surely have at least one of them in before the start of the Premier League season. United will be desperate to avoid another Frenkie De Jong situation this summer and are reportedly looking to finalise their transfers a lot earlier this season.