Chelsea have stepped up their interest in the services of 19-year-old Independiente del Valle midfielder Moises Caicedo.
That is according to a report by the Daily Mail, who claim Manchester United are also interested in securing the signature of the highly-rated youngster.
But despite reports in South America claiming that the Ecuadorian midfielder is poised to join United in a £4.5million deal, it is claimed that the Old Trafford outfit are not in advanced talks with Independiente del Valle, despite being heavily interested in securing his signature.
Though Chelsea have aspirations to sign established stars at this moment in time, they are still keen to land highly-rated young players who are tipped to reach the very highest level.
With that in mind, the club's scouts have been keeping tabs on his progress and have reportedly held talks with his intermediaries as they consider launching their own move for the midfielder.
Despite Caicedo only turning 19 in early-November, he has already started to make a name for himself on the international stage, making four appearances for the senior squad, scoring one goal, which came in a 4-2 win over Uruguay back in October. He has also registered three assists in his last two international appearances.
Taking into account that Caicedo has played his last three games for his country at central defensive-midfield, to have scored one goal and claimed three assists is an impressive return, suggesting he has a huge future ahead of him.
Chelsea and Manchester United, though, are not the only Premier League clubs to be keeping tabs on Caicedo's progress, with both Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United having been credited with interest in him.
Should the Blues end up winning the race for Caicedo, he would no doubt fit in with Frank Lampard's philosophy, with the Blues boss having been keen to promote youth during his time at Stamford Bridge as head coach.
