Man Utd’s first 2026 signing CONFIRMED by Fabrizio Romano

Robin Bairner

2 Oct 2025 07:19 BST
3 min read

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Manchester United’s first signing for 2026, with Colombian wonderkid Cristian Orozco poised to join the club from Fortaleza.

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Although there is uncertainty over the future of manager Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford, Man Utd’s project is very clear: build a strong team for the future by signing up the best young players in the world.

Now Colombia U17 defensive midfielder Orozco has agreed to join the club in a deal that mirrors the agreement that saw Diego Leon arrive at Old Trafford this summer.

An agreement was reported in September but Romano has confirmed that everything is now in place for a move to take place that will cost around €850,000 (£740,000).

“Manchester United have now sealed and signed deal to bring in 17-year-old Colombian talent Cristian Orozco,” he tweeted. “$1m transfer fee from Fortaleza in deal valid from summer 2026. Man Utd’s lawyers approved all the contracts, deal coordinated by lead scout Antonaccio.

“Here we go!”

Orozco a symbol of Man Utd’s new project

Man Utd’s move to sign Orozco showcases the efforts of the Old Trafford side to sign the best young talents from across the globe.

Orozco, who only joined Fortaleza in July from Rojo FC, has yet to make a senior appearance, which highlights how deep the Red Devils have had to dive to identify him as a transfer target and the lengths the club is going to in order to identify untapped talent.

The midfielder did impress during the U17 South American Championships, where he played five of Colombia’s six matches.

It is highly unlikely that Orozco will be signed immediately for United’s first-team panel when he finally moves to Manchester next summer.

The case of Diego Leon shows that while such young players are liable to get exposure to the top level via training, they are being signed with an eye towards their long-term development. The 18-year-old Paraguayan has twice made the bench for Ruben Amorim’s first team, but his only appearance in Man Utd’s colours was a Premier League 2 clash against Liverpool last weekend.

Orozco can look forward to being similarly introduced into the culture of the Premier League giants.

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