Man United 'secure deal' for wonderkid who is set to officially join English giants 'next summer'

The left-back made 19 league appearances for Cerro Porteno during the recent campaign, scoring twice, and his breakthrough into the first team has allegedly attracted the attention of a number of major European clubs.

Man United appear to have moved quickly to secure a deal for the 17-year-old, though, with Romano claiming that "all documents" have now been "signed" to allow the defender to move to Old Trafford when he turns 18 next summer.

The English club's lead South American scout Giuseppe Antonaccio is believed to have pushed for the deal, while technical director Jason Wilcox is credited with playing a major role in negotiating the move for the youngster.

Man United will allegedly pay an initial £3.3m for Leon, with a further £830,000 in straightforward add-ons, while the deal could rise by a further £2.5m once additional add-ons have been taken into consideration.

Man United 'secure deal for Leon'

Leon has been with Cerro Porteno since the age of 13, progressing through the various youth sides at the club before making his first-team debut in August 2024, and he has gone from strength to strength in the senior side.

Paraguayan football expert Roberto Rojas recently branded Leon "a player with a lot of promise".

"He's a player with a lot of promise, who happened to make this big jump into the first team at Cerro Porteño so quickly," Rojas told transfermarkt.

""He's definitely viewed highly because of his talent and recent performances for one of the biggest clubs in the country and occupying that left flank as a full-back has allowed him to be someone who can go onto the attack, start playing from the back and also be versatile.

"Paraguay have recently developed some really good left-backs, so this would be another one to be part of the mix if he were to ever get called up to the national team.

"The links to European football have shown that Leon is a different case, especially at such a young age. It remains to be seen what his ceiling will be, but from the start, it shows he has something that can be very important in the future.

"Like any 17-year-old with little experience playing professionally, Leon is still raw and has a lot he can improve on before making a big jump outside the country."

Will Man United sign another left-back?

Man United are also expected to move for a more experienced left-back next year, with Paris Saint-Germain's Nuno Mendes, AC Milan's Theo Hernandez and Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies seemingly on their radar.

Luke Shaw, if he manages to overcome his ongoing muscular problems, could be used as a left-sided centre-back by Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim, but the arrivals of two new left-backs would surely lead to Tyrell Malacia moving on.

Harry Amass, who is regarded as one of the best young talents at the club, would also see his path into the first team blocked if both Leon and a senior left-back arrive, so there is set to be a lot of movement in that area of the field next year.

Written by

Matt Law