Chelsea Join Manchester United in Moises Caicedo Race
By Tom Gott
Chelsea are the latest side to express an interest in 19-year-old Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo, who is also wanted by Manchester United.
The Red Devils have been said to be 'leading the race' for the Independiente del Valle wonderkid, who is already a full international at senior level and is expected to command a fee of close to £4.5m.
Caicedo is a United fan and is likely to be keen on a move to Old Trafford, but the Daily Mail believe Chelsea are considering offering him the chance to head to Stamford Bridge instead.
Blues scouts have been monitoring Caicedo for some time and club officials are said to have held talks with intermediaries about potentially launching a bid for the promising teenager.
The young midfielder is also interesting the likes of Newcastle and Brighton, while there is also thought to be interest from mainland Europe, where RB Leipzig and AC Milan have been named as potential suitors.
Under Frank Lampard, Chelsea have built a reputation for bringing young players into the first team, with the likes of Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Reece James all blossoming into stars under Lampard's tutelage, and that pathway to the senior side could be more appealing for Caicedo.
However, there have to be questioned asked about why Chelsea would want to sign a new, young midfielder, given they are already overflowing with numbers in that position.
Lampard's first-team squad already features Mount, Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, N'Golo Kante and Billy Gilmour, while Ethan Ampadu, Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Conor Gallagher are strutting their stuff out on loan. Danny Drinkwater is still kicking about in the reserves as well.
Having said that, those numbers may be trimmed somewhat in the coming months. Sky Sport Italia's Angelo Mangiante recently claimed that Jorginho, Drinkwater and Barkley are three of seven Chelsea players who could leave before the start of next season.
Mangiante also tipped Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses to leave Stamford Bridge as part of the Blues' attempts to finance moves for Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland and West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.