Diego Leon was spotted at Carrington this week to finalise his move to Manchester United.
It did not take long for Ruben Amorim to want a new left wing-back at Manchester United. It was an area of weakness identified by the Portuguese head coach after just one match.
Luke Shaw’s terrible injury record paired with Tyrell Malacia’s lengthy absence has left United short of options on the left this season. Diogo Dalot has had to fill the void with few other options available to Amorim.
However, United moved quickly to sign Diego Leon from Cerro Porteno as a long-term fit for United’s left flank.
United have paid £7m for Leon, although the initial fee is around £3.3m with add-ons attached to the deal. Leon visited Carrington this week to finalise the move, which is now expected to be official in the summer.
Diego Leon set to join Manchester United this summer
While in Manchester, Leon completed his medical ahead of his £7m move, but reports suggest it will not become official until the summer when he is then 18 years old.
As reported by James Ducker, Leon is set to spend the next six months back at Cerro Porteno before his United move becomes official on July 1st.
He adds that United have beaten Arsenal to Leon’s signature after the Gunners opened talks over a potential move.
Leon could make his United debut this summer in pre-season. United are going on a post-season tour to Malaysia but new details have confirmed he will not be part of the squad by then.
Man United keen to avoid £115m Moises Caicedo mistake
There has been a clear change in transfer strategy at Old Trafford since the Ineos takeover has been completed.
There has been more focus on signing young, exciting talents that can develop into superstars at Old Trafford, rather than signing ready-made stars on big fees.
Back in October, Fabrizio Romano said Moises Caicedo’s £115m move inspired United’s change of strategy after the Red Devils passed up on the opportunity to sign the now-Chelsea midfielder for just £4.5m.
United snubbed a move for Caicedo and just years later he broke the British transfer record with his move to Stamford Bridge.
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As mentioned in The Telegraph report above, there was a “sense of frustration” among United scouts when Caicedo completed his move to Chelsea.
Steps are being taken at United so that scouting recommendations are heard and acted on – such as the £7m move for Leon.
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