Manchester United are said to be targeting a move for a young Ecuadorian midfielder, but the Reds are expected to face competition from other clubs for the winderkid’s signature.
Since taking over at Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have put an emphasis on signing some young talent.
United have secured the signatures of Ayden Heaven, Diego Leon, Chido Obi, Sékou Koné and Enzo Kana-Biyik in the last 18 months and also have a deal in place to sign 17-year-old midfielder Cristian Orozco from Fortaleza.
United were able to convince Obi and Heaven to switch North-London for Manchester, even though both players had offers from other top European clubs, some of which were reportedly more financially lucrative.
The signings of Leon, Kone and Orozco show a desire to utilise the South-American and African markets more. Those are two continents where top talent is often available for very minimal fees.
United pursuing move for Castillo
According to Bolavip, Manchester United have joined the race for 17-year-old LDU Quito midfielder Ederson Castillo.
The midfielder has also been scouted by La Liga giants Atletico Madrid and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. Castillo, however, won’t be able to move to Europe until he turns 18.
Belgian outfit Anderlecht are also said to have Castillo on their radar as the youngster continues to impress at LDU Quito.
While Castillo can’t move to Europe for another year, United could push ahead and agree a deal in advance in an attempt fend off competition from other clubs.
United trying to avoid mistakes of the past
It has been well-documented that Manchester United decided against signing Moises Caicedo from Independiente del Valle in January 2021.
Manchester United are now oriented *not* to sign Moises Caicedo. 🔴
He’s been scouted and Man Utd were in control of the situation because Moises’ dream was to join #mufc, but he’s not the priority. It was *never* a done deal.
‘Caicedo race’ is now on with many clubs involved.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 8, 2021
View Tweet
Brighton and Hove Albion were then able to sign Caicedo, before eventually selling him to Chelsea for what was the British record transfer fee at the time.
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WIth signings like Leon, Kone and Orozco and now potentially Castillo, United are clearly making active efforts to find undiscovered talent before other clubs do.
Not all of these players will end up being good enough to play for United, but even if only one or two does, it will end up saving the club a lot of money.
And for those players who turn out to not be at the required level, the club can then sell them on for what would still likely be a significant profit. This obviously goes a long way in complying with PSR and FFP regulations and allowing the club to invest in quality players.
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