Manchester United are set to make their first new signing under Ruben Amorim, with teenage defender Diego Leon flying to England to finalise his move from Cerro Porteno
Manchester United are close to completing the signing of Diego Leon after the defender was spotted at an airport.
The left-back will not officially join United until he turns 18 in April, but reports from his native Paraguay state that Leon has travelled to England this weekend to undergo a medical and finalise the move.
Leon has impressed since making his first-team debut for Cerro Porteno last August and was also linked with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City. However, he is now set to join United and will become the first new signing under Ruben Amorim.
Paraguayan journalist Juan Denis shared several photos on social media of Leon at the airport as he prepared to fly to Manchester. According to La Nacion, United are keen for the teenager to ‘get to know the club’s facilities’.
The report also states that Leon will only spend a few days in Manchester as he is set to feature for Paraguay’s Under-20s in the Under-20 South American Championship which gets underway in Venezuela this month.
United will pay an initial fee of around £3million, but there are certain add-ons included in the deal. Paraguayan outlet Versus are also reporting that the current plan is for Leon to remain with Cerro Porteno for the first half of the year, before joining up with United for pre-season in the summer.
Leon will join at a time when United are in desperate need of more depth at left-back, with both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia currently out of action. The pair have struggled badly with injuries in recent years and have been limited to just 14 Premier League starts between them since the beginning of last season.
Leon has been compared to Real Madrid legend Marcelo and Manolo Jimenez, who handed him his Cerro Porteno debut, believes he has a big future. ” Manchester United have seen in him what I saw, what my teammates saw, I am honestly very happy that this signing can be completed,” he told Versus.
“I hope everything goes well for him in everything that comes. He’s a prototype of a full-back in many attacking conditions, with his age, he still has time to improve in his defensive aspect, which is what he has to grow.
“Surely in Manchester they will give him the right job so that he can develop. The day he’s clear about his decision-making, he will be a great player and won’t make mistakes that can’t be criticised. But [these] are typical for his age and his inexperience.”
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Learn more
