Who is the Paraguayan Wonderkid Diego Leon

Key Takeaways

Manchester United are actively negotiating a $4m (£3.1m) deal for Diego Leon, a 17-year-old left-back.
Leon, a Paraguayan talent, is an emerging star with impressive physical and technical abilities.
Leon turns 18 in April, meaning he can’t officially join until the summer transfer window.

Manchester United are in “active talks” for Diego Leon, according to Fabrizio Romano. Leon is a Paraguayan left-back who currently plays for Cerro Porteno and is only 17 years old. Paraguay has been an underrated market for young talent in recent years, with Brighton & Hove Albion picking up Julio Enciso for £9.5 million in 2022 and Nottingham Forest winning the race for Ramon Sosa’s signature this summer.

Leon would be representative of United’s change in transfer strategy in recent years, as they have looked to buy emerging talents. Recent examples of this include Sekou Kone and Chido Obi-Martin, who signed for the club at 18 and 16, respectively. Here is everything you need to know about United’s latest transfer target, who has become a first-team regular in the Paraguayan top-flight at the age of 17.

Career

Leon made his debut for Cerro Porteno on 2nd August 2024, scoring against Sportivo Ameliano. Since then, he has made 19 appearances in the Paraguayan top flight, scoring twice. While 19 senior matches doesn’t seem like a lot, there is optimism in Paraguay that Leon is the next big star to make the switch to England.

His physical frame and pace make him an extremely impressive modern full-back, which has led to significant interest from the likes of United, Manchester City and Arsenal. There have been various reports suggesting the Red Devils are the most likely club to secure Leon’s signature, which makes sense due to the club’s injury issues at left-back. Luke Shaw has just suffered another setback, and Tyrell Malacia has only just returned after 17 months on the sidelines.

Diego Leon Career Stats
Competition	Appearances	Goals	Assists
Paraguayuan First Division Clausura	19	2	0
South American Cup	0	0	0

Position and Style of Play

Leon is a defender who wants to use his pace to create chances from out wide. He often receives the ball from deep positions on the left-hand side and instantly looks to take on opposition defenders to create openings for his teammates. Not only is he extremely physically gifted for his age, but he is also an impressive technician. One of his signature moves is picking the ball up in his own half and dropping his shoulder to take it past the opposition player and move his team up the pitch.

There have been concerns about his defensive positioning, but this is natural for a 17-year-old who only started playing first-team football in August. Speaking to Transfermarkt about the potential of Leon, Paraguayan football expert Roberto Rojas said:

“The links to European football have shown that León is a different case, especially at such a young age. It remains to be seen what his ceiling will be, but from the start, it shows he has something that can be very important in the future. Like any 17-year-old with little experience playing professionally, León is still raw and has a lot he can improve on before making a big jump outside the country.”

Due to his pace and ability in the final third, Leon would be a good fit as a left wing-back in a back five. Given that Ruben Amorim has opted for his favoured 3-4-3 shape so far during his time as United manager, it is clear to see where the young Paraguayan would fit in the Portuguese head coach’s system.

An important complication is that Leon turns 18 in April, meaning he will not be able to officially move to United during the January transfer window. Clubs can agree on transfers with players under the age of 18 from teams abroad, but they can only join English clubs once they have turned 18. This was the case for Chelsea’s signings of the talented South American duo of Kendry Paez and Estevao in the summer.