Manchester United are eyeing up a surprise move for Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo as Erik ten Hag aims to add some bite into his midfield.

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Mirror, who claim that Man United are interested in signing the player from Brighton following his wonderful start to life in the Premier League.

They face competition from Arsenal, however, who also want to beef up their midfield options by signing the Ecuadorian.

The 20-year-old signed for Brighton in 2021 for a bargain fee of £4.5m and they will surely make a massive profit on the youngster should they sell.

Caicedo could be Kante 2.0

Ten Hag will be desperate to add some more bite to his midfield area, especially in the aftermath of the woeful defeats to Brighton and Brentford as they start off this season in a state of turmoil.

In the 2-1 loss to Brighton, Caicedo was excellent for the visitors, showing first-hand what he could offer to United. He averaged a 7.5 rating on SofaScore, completely dominating Fred and Scott McTominay who had to be withdrawn early in the encounter.

That ranking ensured he was the third-best performer out of his teammates as he won eight out of his 11 duels, made three key passes, and completed four tackles as he excelled in the middle of the park.

This performance may have prompted Ten Hag to act, with the youngster clearly demonstrating himself as a fabulous asset in the top-flight, so much so that he's been compared to Chelsea and France star N’Golo Kante, with Tim Vickery saying:

“A year ago, he was talking about Kante of Chelsea being his role model and he is already more than that.

"He can defend, but he can also bomb forward. He's timing his runs very well, he's cool in possession and he seems to have the whole lot."

High praise for the youngster, with Vickery, also dubbing him as “wonderful” and it looks like he could actually offer more than Kante in some areas of the game.

The 20-year-old spent the first half of last season on loan to K Beerschot VA but was recalled by Brighton in January where he played an important role, even scoring against Man United.

Caicedo certainly offers more going forward than the World Cup winner, averaging 1.3 shots per game last season compared to just 0.7 for the Frenchman. Caicedo also won more duels (5.4 to 4.6), made more interceptions (1.3 to 1.2 per match), and made more clearances (0.9 to 0.3), proving that his all-round game is excellent and he can contribute both to his side's defensive and attacking needs.

With less than three weeks left in the transfer window and other teams chasing his signature, Ten Hag will need to act quickly to sign Caicedo.