Exclusive:Manchester United plan in place for £7m defensive signing next month
Man Utd will sign a defender next month and there is a plan in place for his firs season at the club.
Manchester United will officially complete the signing of Diego Leon from Cerro Porteño next month. United reached an agreement to sign the teenage full-back in the January transfer window but were unable to complete a deal until he turned 18 in April.
It is understood the 18-year-old will sign an initial five-year deal at the club as part of a transfer fee that could eventually be worth as much as £7 million. United will pay the Paraguayan club an initial fee in the region of £3.2m, with add-ons that could eventually see it rise to as much as £7m.
Leon visited Manchester earlier in the year to complete his initial medical examinations, while it was also an opportunity for him to meet staff members and be introduced to the club's facilities. The provisional deal has already been sealed by football director Jason Wilcox, with lead South American scout Giuseppe Antonaccio credited as the one who pushed for the move.
Diego Leon will need time to settle
Manchester United will take a look at Diego Leon during their summer schedule before a final decision is made on his immediate future. The 18-year-old will likely feature in their first pre-season friendly fixtures and could even be named in the squad that travels to the United States for the Premier League Summer Series.
A summer loan exit has not been entirely ruled out, though club sources have reiterated the teenager will need time to adapt in his new surroundings, just as Sekou Kone did when he signed from Malian club Guidars FC a year ago. Kone made 14 appearances for United across the various age groups during his debut campaign and trained regularly with the first team without ever making a senior appearance.
Kone began taking English lessons as soon as he joined the club, while U21s player-coach Tommy Rowe has been taking French lessons to communicate better and help integrate him into his new surroundings. After a year in Manchester, Kone is expected to join Swiss side Lausanne-Sport on loan this summer.
It could well be a similar pathway for Leon, who could feature for United at youth level to help him acclimatise to his new environment before his future is reassessed in the next transfer window. United are also set to complete the signings of Southampton youngster Harley Emsden-James and Le Havre teenager Enzo Kana-Biyik next month. It is understood Kana-Biyik could also join Lausanne-Sport on loan, given he will likely find the move to England less of a culture shock than Leon.