Manchester United have reportedly turned their attention towards signing Moises Caicedo after a failure to reach agreements for both Mason Mount and Adrien Rabiot.
The Red Devils appear to have been priced out of a move for the England international, who has just one year left on his deal at Stamford Bridge.
The Mirror claims that Chelsea are not budging on their £65m valuation of Mount, with United said to be walking away from negotiations after having a £55m bid rejected.
Therefore, Erik ten Hag is set to make Caicedo his main midfield target, with Brighton & Hove Albion rating the Ecuadorian at £80m.
Caicedo has been a target for Chelsea, but with them standing firm on a deal regarding Mount, it could see them have a potential move for the Brighton man hijacked.
In a season where Brighton qualified for continental football for the first time, Caicedo played a central role in their success, missing just one Premier League game all season.
However, manager Roberto De Zerbi appeared resigned to the fact that his midfielder may have played his last game for the club after the final day of the season.
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Mount meanwhile, endured a very frustrating season for a Chelsea side which finished down in 12th, with his last start coming in the 1-0 home defeat to Southampton in mid-February.
With Chelsea looking to offload many first-team players to make way for the array of talent that was brought in during the winter transfer window, Mount looked likely to be one of those departing, given his contract situation.
N'Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy are already on their way out, with Hakim Ziyech and Kalidou Koulibaly expected to join them in Saudi Arabia, but Mount could now end up staying given the breakdown in talks with United.
An additional factor in United's pursuit for Caicedo comes due to another of their targets looking likely to stay put, with Rabiot close to signing a new contract extension at Juventus.
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Gianluca Di Marzio claims that the Frenchman will stay on with the Bianconeri for another year, with his contract set to expire this summer.
Rabiot was linked with Man United last summer, but a move fell through after his mother and agent pulled the plug on the deal, but the Red Devils were linked again when it appeared Rabiot would be departing on a free.
Despite the financial difficulties facing Juventus though, Rabiot, who netted 11 goals last season, looks like he will be extending his stay at the club.
Andrew Delaney
