Manchester United may be about to land one of the bargains of the January transfer window by bringing in Moises Caicedo from Independiente del Valle.

What's the word?

With Paul Pogba heavily linked with the Old Trafford exit and Donny van de Beek having so far failed to hit the ground running, United's need for an attack-minded midfielder has arguably never been greater.

United have taken full advantage of the January transfer window in recent times with Bruno Fernandes turning out to be a total revelation ever since he first arrived at the Red Devils from Sporting Lisbon at the start of the year.

And they could be about to add yet more firepower to their midfield in the shape of Caicedo. Renowned transfer guru and journalist Fabrizio Romano claims "his contract won’t be a problem" which suggests that the ball is very much in United's court, and if Ed Woodward can get a deal over the line, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could set his side up very nicely for the rest of the season.

Imagine Caicedo and Scott McTominay

While Caicedo is primarily a defensive-minded midfielder, he can also play in a more central role or even further up the pitch (like he did during his international debut in the World Cup qualifier against Argentina), which is precisely the sort of free-roaming option Solskjaer has taken a shining to just like Fernandes and to some extent Pogba as well.

Equally capable of dropping deep to break up attacks or carry the ball forward into the opposition half, the 19-year-old could work in tandem with Scott McTominay in the midfield to protect the defence at the back and build up a partnership in the years to come akin to Solskjaer's former teammates Roy Keane and Paul Scholes.

It's claimed United have reportedly reached an agreement with the Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle for a £4.5m deal for the teenager. However, they face stiff competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea for his signature, with Frank Lampard also keen to secure his services.

Given his age, the Ecuador international is obviously intended to be an investment for the future, but there's no doubt he'd be able to land firmly on his feet and hit the ground running at Old Trafford, as he has scored six goals and supplied two assists across all competitions so far this season, via Transfermarkt.

With Chelsea waiting in the wings, Solskjaer must push Ed Woodward to wrap up a deal as soon as possible.

AND in other news, Manchester United’s interest in Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic spells trouble for Victor Lindelof...