Manchester United will ‘hope’ they can pull on the ‘heartstrings’ of Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The 20-year-old is believed to be on the radar of the Old Trafford outfit after previously admitting that it is his ‘dream’ to play for the 20-time English champions at some point in his career.

What is the latest news involving Caicedo?

A recent report from Sky Sports revealed that United ‘are interested’ in snapping up Caicedo as Erik ten Hag looks to address his midfield issues and may be encouraged by the youngster’s passion for the club.

“My dream is to play for Manchester United. Antonio Valencia is an example to follow,” the Ecuador international said in an exclusive interview with The Athletic.

“With his strength and dedication, he was able to get to that level. That motivates me to keep working hard and do the right things.”

United have already secured the signatures of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen this summer, but Caicedo plays a different role to the aforementioned duo and could replace Scott McTominay in the number eight position.

What has Jones said about Caicedo?

Jones has informed GiveMeSport that Brighton are ‘not interested’ in losing Caicedo’s services so close to the transfer window slamming shut on September 1.

He said: “So, this is a different time for Man Utd to be convincing young players to join.

“They obviously hope that if there are links to Man United from his family that they can pull on the heartstrings. But ultimately, we've got to consider too that Brighton are not interested in losing the player at this stage of the transfer window.”

Would Caicedo be a good signing?

Caicedo has only made 12 appearances for the Seagulls since signing from Independiente in February 2021 but has enjoyed a loan spell at Belgian outfit Beerschot since then.

The South American did make a sizeable contribution in the second half of last season for Brighton, though, putting up some impressive underlying numbers.

As per WhoScored, Caicedo averaged two tackles, 1.3 interceptions, 0.5 blocks, 1.3 shots and 0.9 dribbles per league game las term, placing him in the top five for each metric amongst his teammates.

Caicedo, therefore, could be an ideal partner for the likes of Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, providing a balance to the United midfield that has been lacking for a number of years.