Manchester United have reached a preliminary agreement to sign Colombian midfielder Cristian Orozco next year.
The 17-year-old central midfielder plays for Colombian club Fortaleza FC and is also the captain of his country at U17s level. He has represented his country nine times at that age group and worn the captain's armband in every appearance.
Orozco shone at the South American U17 Championship earlier this year, helping Colombia reach the final, where they lost to Brazil in a penalty shootout. The teenager will have another shot at international glory later this year when Colombia participate in the U17 World Cup, with matches against Germany, North Korea and El Salvador in the group stage.
00:01Manchester United have reached an agreement to sign Colombian midfielder Christian Orozco from Colombian side Fortaleza next summer.
00:11The 17-year-old will only be allowed to join United once he turns 18 in July 2026, but an agreement is in place for the 17-year-old to become a midfield signing at Old Trafford.
00:24The 17-year-old is already captain of Colombia at under-17 level. He played a key part in their role of reaching the final of the South American Championships earlier in the year.
00:36They lost in a penalty shootout there to Brazil, and he'll also be in action when Colombia play in the under-17 World Cup later this year.
00:44That tournament in Qatar sees Colombia take on Germany, North Korea and El Salvador in the group stages,
00:50and they'll be hoping to repeat their success in the South American Championship by going far in the World Cup at the age group.
00:57The 17-year-old is a defensive midfielder. He has a lot of potential.
01:02And this is another message from United that they are looking to try and invest in young players as early as possible.
01:09They view South America as an untapped market where they can get relative bargains and hopefully sign future world stars for cheaper fees than they would do if they had to go and sign them from another European club further down the line.
01:23It means that the deal will be similar to the one that saw Diego Leon join United in the summer.
01:28United, of course, agreed a deal to sign the Paraguayan defender back in January, but he could only join them in the summer once he had also turned 18.
01:37So a deal is in place for United to sign a new midfielder.
01:41And yeah, United will prioritise a midfield overhaul next summer.
01:45They didn't sign anyone at senior level over the window that's just been a club source that said it wasn't a priority,
01:52despite the fact they looked at Carlos Baleba from Brighton, and they also had a loan inquiry for Conor Gallagher at Atletico Madrid.
01:59But United are set to sign a midfielder next year, Christian Oresko will become a Manchester United player.
Be the first to comment