Man Utd ‘agree fee’ for first Amorim signing with talks led by man billed as Dan Ashworth replacement

Manchester United are reported to have ‘agreed a fee’ with Paraguayan club Cerro Porteno for 17-year-old left-back Diego Leon – and a report has claimed the deal has been negotiated by a man being called the replacement for Dan Ashworth.

The 53-year-old Ashworth surprisingly departed Old Trafford on Sunday, a little over five months since joining from Newcastle and with Manchester United having paid a compensation agreement of around £3m. His exit came out of the blue, leaving Sir Jim Ratcliffe with a big decision to make over whom to replace him.

In the meantime, the most pressing priority for United is their immediate struggle for results and helping Ruben Amorim rebuild a squad that is currently languishing in 13th place in the Premier League, having lost successive matches under their new manager.

With funds likely to be in short supply in the January window, there is a strong chance Amorim will need to work with the squad he already has at his disposal for the remainder of the season. However, strong reports on Wednesday claimed the Red Devils could look to generate funds by putting the majority of their squad up for sale, with only a handful of players safe.

However, it seems the club are on the brink of a low-cost first capture of the Amorim reign, with Fabrizio Romano revealing United were locked in talks with the Paraguayan side over a deal to bring Porteno to Old Trafford.

Now according to Argentine journalist Cesar Luis Merlo, United have had a bid of $4m (£3.15m, €3.8m) accepted by Cerro Porteno for Leon, with the teenager who has made 19 league appearances for the senior side this season, expected to make the move early in the new year.

Furthermore, the negotiations in his signing have reportedly been led by Jason Wilcox, who moved to the club as technical director earlier this year.

A report in the Daily Mail explained: ‘An email sent to staff on Wednesday made it clear that Wilcox, who has been United’s technical director since April, will fill Ashworth’s shoes for the time being and is the point of contact for the scouting department on any recruitment matters.

‘The club’s interim director of recruitment Christopher Vivell is also expected to take a more prominent role after Ashworth was axed by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe just five months into the job.’

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What has been said about Diego Leon?

Little is known about Leon beyond his homeland, though several big sides have been tracking his development for some time.

According to Transfermarkt, they rated Leon as the 20th most valuable 17-year-old in world football, behind the likes of Ethan Nwaneri, Lamine Yamal, and Chris Rigg.

Speaking to Transfermarkt, ESPN’s associate editor and Paraguayan football expert Roberto Rojas claimed Leon is “viewed highly”.

“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 said.

“As someone coming from a remote place (Yguazú, in Alto Paraná which is roughly 300 km from the capital Asuncion) and growing up in difficult circumstances, León has proven to be someone who can surpass that adversity to get to where he’s been.

“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.”

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Meanwhile, amid talk of United’s mass squad clearout, Ally McCoist has had no hesitation in naming Christian Eriksen and Casemiro as the first two players to be forced out of the club.

Explaining why Amorim likes his midfielders with more energy to make his system work, McCoist reckons that there is one player already on the club’s books who could end up saving the club millions and looks ready-made to become a big player under the Portuguese.

Much has also been written on the future of Marcus Rashford over the last couple of days, amid claims the club are ready to cash in on the 27-year-old if a sizeable bid comes their way.

Now according to reports in Spain, United have ‘offered’ Rashford to Barcelona and their sporting director Deco is said to ‘value’ the idea of bringing him to the club.

He might not be the only United man offloaded to Spain, either, with reports suggesting Lisandro Martinez is the subject of interest from Real Madrid as the LaLiga giants look to fix a sizeable hole in the centre of their defence.

United’s stance on his potential sale has also come to light.

Man Utd’s bright young talents ready to make the breakthrough

United have bolstered their academy to fine effect in recent years and now have several promising youngsters primed to make the breakthrough, with Diego Leon the latest to be added to their Under-18s ranks.

However, if the Paraguayan continues developing at his current rate, it may not be too long before he is knocking on the first-team door at Old Trafford. And with United’s left-back issues well documented, it could well have a faster route than others into the first team.

Leon looks poised to become the second new addition to their ranks this week too, after the capture of winger Emmanuel Ziro from a famed London academy.