Clubs are flocking to Ecuador to check on the latest talent following a recent emergence of youngsters from the nation, including Caicedo, Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie and Kendry Paez, the 17-year-old snapped up by Chelsea for £17m earlier this summer.
And United may be wary of missing out again after their regret at failing to sign Caicedo two and a half years ago. United had finalised a £4.5m deal with his club at the time, Independiente del Valle, in January 2021 before they decided to pull out of talks.
Weeks later, Premier League rivals Brighton stole in and got the deal over the line before sending him out on loan to Belgian club Beerschot before he made his debut in the 2021-22 campaign.
Caicedo became an instant hit at the Amex Stadium and United’s mistake looked worse with every game he impressed, with Arsenal and Liverpool both making attempts to sign him for upwards of £75m before Chelsea finally landed him in August in a British transfer record deal. For that reason, United will be keen to ensure he doesn’t slip through the net this time.
