Manchester United have expanded their academy recruitment in recent years following Brexit regulations, with their latest addition set to be Cristian Orozco
Ruben Amorim
Man United boss Ruben Amorim is set to add a new player to his squad
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Teenage wonderkid Cristian Orozco has shared an emotional update before flying to the UK to meet with Manchester United - a move he has already described as a dream. United have a preliminary agreement to sign the Colombian from Fortaleza CEIF, though the move can only be completed next year when he turns 18.
Orozco will continue to play for Fortaleza CEIF until the transfer can be finalised in July. In the meantime, the young midfielder will travel to Manchester to familiarise himself with the area ahead of the move and will also be shown around Carrington and Old Trafford.
On Friday, Orozco took to Instagram, sharing a picture at the airport with the scout Giuseppe Antonaccio alongside the caption: "With the great Giuseppe , on the way to a dream." United have expanded their academy recruitment in recent years following Brexit regulations, which restrict clubs from signing players from Europe.
Cristian Orozco
Cristian Orozco
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The agreement to bring Orozco from Fortaleza is believed to be worth around $1million (£750,000). Last summer, United welcomed Diego Leon from Cerro Porteno in a deal worth £3.3million, rising to £7m with add-ons.
Leon impressed coaches at Carrington and trained exclusively with the first team during pre-season.
United's signings of Orozco and Leon come after co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe made it clear that he wants to sign the next superstar rather than an established talent for big money. “I would rather sign the next Mbappe rather than spend a fortune buying success," he said.
"It’s not that clever buying Mbappe. Anyone could figure that one out. More challenging is to find the next Mbappe or next Jude Bellingham or next Roy Keane.
"It's not where our focus is, the solution isn’t spending a lot of money on a couple of great players.
"They have done that, if you look at the last ten years, they have spent a lot of money on a couple of great players.
"The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes who are managing and organising the club. And make sure we get recruitment right, it is such a vital part of football today.”
United signed five players in the summer with Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Senne Lammens, and Diego Leon all moving to Old Trafford. The summer transfer window cost the club £236m.