Man Utd beaten by Brighton in Moises Caicedo transfer race in £4.5m deal for 19-year-old Ecuadorian wonderkid

BRIGHTON have beaten Manchester United in the race to sign Ecuadorian teenager Moises Caicedo.

The 19-year-old has reached a £4.5million agreement to join the Seagulls from Serie A side Independiente del Valle in his homeland.

And while being called up the national team four times before his 20th birthday shows extreme promise, Brighton boss Graham Potter is aware he will need some time to adjust to the English game.

He told the club website: "It's no secret we have been working to bring Moises to the club, and we are very pleased he is finally here.

"He will need time to settle in with the group, for us to get to know him and vice versa, as well as get up to speed and ready for the demands of the Premier League.

"He has done very well in Ecuador and made his debut for his country at just 18. He's an exciting signing, but it is important we give him time to adjust."

Caicedo is the second signing Brighton have made from Independiente del Valle after acquiring Billy Arce in the summer of 2018.

And technical director Dan Ashworth added: "Moises has had a lot of interest from clubs across Europe, which is understandable given how well he has done.

"He's been one the recruitment team has been aware of for some time and we are confident he is a player with a very exciting future ahead.

"It has been a complicated transfer, due to the current restrictions, and there has been a lot of hard work across several of the club's departments to get the transfer completed.

"Moises is still a young player, moving away from his country for the first time, so we allow him the time he needs to adjust and adapt."

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Caicedo could make his debut away at Premier League champions Liverpool on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Brighton saw club legend Glenn Murray leave for Nottingham Forest on a permanent deal yesterday.

The 37-year-old’s 111 goals make him the club’s second highest scorer in history behind Tommy Cook (125).

Potter added: "Glenn has been outstanding for this football club, a great pro and pleasure to work with. He quite rightly has earned legend status here."

The Seagulls also loaned Chelsea defender Jack Wakeley, 20, yesterday and added him to their Under-23 squad.

Brighton moved seven points clear of the bottom three following an impressive 1-0 win over Spurs on Sunday evening.

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