Amorim SEALS first Man Utd signing

Robin Bairner

• 13 Jan 2025 13:10 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is set to complete his first signing for the club, with a left-back set to land at Old Trafford.

A deal to sign Diego Leon from Cerro Porteno has been virtually concluded, with the 17-year-old poised to sign a four-year deal with the Red Devils on Monday, according to Ben Jacobs.

United have been linked for the wonderkid for several weeks and they are set to receive his agreement to move to the club, with the football transfer expert revealing a deal will be finalised imminently.

"Diego Leon will sign his #MUFC contract today. Four-year deal," Jacobs tweeted.

This comes slightly against the previous update on Leon, which was that he would not entirely commit himself to the Red Devils until later in the year, even if the move was still a formality.

Journalist Christian Perez took to X on 9 January to confirm: “Diego Leon is travelling to Manchester United this Saturday to undergo his medical and get to know the club.

“He will only sign the contract after April, when he turns 18.

“He will then quickly return to rejoin the Under 20s and travel to the South American Championship.”

Diego Leon is set to be signed by Manchester United in a deal worth €4 million plus bonuses.

It has been a transfer several weeks in the making and one that the 17-year-old has long been confident about making.

Speaking in December, his mother Brigida Blanco said: “Diego is relaxed, I asked him if he wanted to go [to Manchester United] and he said it’s the dream of every footballer. He’s convinced he will go, he wants to go.”

Romano announces Diego Leon transfer details

Fabrizio Romano even announced that the deal was done around a month ago.

“Total package is going to be in excess of $6-$7 million (£4.9-5.7m), including add-ons. The initial fee will be $4m with $1m in guaranteed add-ons and more complicated add-ons based on the performances of the player,” he said.

“Obviously, Diego Leon immediately accepted the opportunity to go to Man Utd and the negotiation with Cerro Porteno (his current club) was quite fast, with Jason Wilcox in charge of negotiations.

“The deal is in place and Man Utd hope to sign all the documents next week. They are also planning a trip for Diego Leon to visit Carrington and Old Trafford, and meet Ruben Amorim, the directors of the club and his future team-mates.

“He will not be able to join Man Utd in January because he’s still 17, but when he turns 18 in the summer, he will be able to become a new Man Utd player.”

Leon is initially set to hook up with the youth team with the aim of being promoted to the first team as rapidly as possible.