Chelsea transfer target Moises Caicedo has modelled his game on N’Golo Kante and is already “the genuine article”, according to South American football expert Tim Vickery.
Caicedo is one of the hottest prospects in world football and Chelsea are reportedly trying to rival Manchester United for his signature during the January transfer window.
United are yet to make a breakthrough on a €6million (£5.5m) transfer for the 19-year-old Ecuador international, who plays for Independiente del Valle in his home country.
However, Independiente del Valle general manager Santiago Morales has potentially opened the door for Chelsea, claiming United are not the only side in the picture.
“There is another club interested in England and also a team from the five top leagues in Europe,” Morales told Machdeportes, as reported by Manchester Evening News.
“We have two strong teams from Europe interested in him, without reaching any understanding yet. But we hope their negotiation will be prompt.”
If Chelsea can muscle in on United’s business then Vickery believes they will be getting a player mature beyond his years.
“It looks like he’s locked in for Man United and if it goes through they’ve got themselves the real deal Holyfield,” he told Sky Sports.
“The way the market is going with South American footballers, is that European clubs want to take them young, as early as possible, so they are buying on promise.
“But this fellow, Moises Caicedo, he’s already much more than a promise - he’s a reality. He’s the first player born in the 21st century to score a goal in South America’s World Cup qualifiers.”
Vickery went on to draw a comparison with Manchester City legend Colin Bell, who sadly passed away aged 74 this week.
“I don’t want to say that Moises Caicedo is going to be as good as Colin Bell,” he said. “But Moises Caicedo is in that kind of mould - he’s a terrific athlete who makes football look easy.
“He’s a box-to-box midfielder. A year ago he was saying that Kante of Chelsea was his role model. He’s already more than that - he offers more in the final third than that.
“That kind of box-to-box midfielder which is very much in the tradition of the English game - strong, quick, intelligent, cool. He really does look like the genuine article.”
