have informed Brighton they are not willing to meet their asking price of £80million for .
Brighton rejected two bids from Arsenal for the Ecuador international during the January transfer window but are prepared to let him leave for the right price this summer with also keen on his services.
Chelsea are thought to be favourites to land the 21-year-old,
But the Blues are yet to open negotiations with Brighton and according to , have informed the club they have no plans to meet their current asking price.
Chelsea’s stance could open the door for United, who have been frustrated in their own attempts to sign Mason Mount.
Chelsea have rejected three bids for the England international with United now exploring alternative options, one of which is Caicedo.
While the Brighton star would cost considerably more than the £65m deal Chelsea are demanding for Mount, United acknowledge an £80m fee would be justified for a player of Caicedo’s potential.
United have held talks with Caicedo’s representatives amid their struggles to agree a deal for Mount.
Their latest offer, £50m plus £5m in add-ons, remains on the table
United have also revived their attempts to sign Adrien Rabiot from Juventus.
A move for the France international fell through last summer but talks with the 28-year-old are back underway with his contract with the Bianconeri set to expire at the end of June.
Chelsea confirmed the departure of Kalidou Koulibaly on Sunday night with Edouard Mendy, Hakim Ziyech, Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz all expected to complete their moves away this week.
Nicolas Jackson meanwhile is poised to complete his £32m move from Villarreal having successfully completed his medical on Sunday.
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