Manchester United agree £35m Ederson deal and sign Colombian teen Orozco in double midfield move

Manchester United are closing in on two midfield signings, having agreed a £35 million fee — plus £3.8 million in add-ons — with Atalanta for Brazil international Ederson, while Colombian teenager Cristian Orozco is set to finalise his move from Fortaleza CEIF next month.

Ederson still needs to undergo a medical before the transfer is completed, though the process could be delayed by his call-up to the Brazil squad for the World Cup. The deal represents one of United’s more significant midfield investments in recent windows.

Orozco, who turns 18 before his expected arrival, will be assessed by coaching staff at Carrington before the club maps out a development plan for next season. United arranged English tuition for the teenager as part of his integration, and he was brought to Manchester in December for a tour of Carrington and Old Trafford, also training alongside academy sides during that visit.

The likelihood is that Orozco will remain at the club initially, given the adjustment period typically required for players arriving from South America. United point to the trajectories of Seko Kone and Diego Leon — who joined from Mali and Paraguay respectively and both spent a season with the Under-21s — as a template for how the Colombian’s development could unfold. Enzo Kana-Biyik, who came from Le Havre and already had European experience, was instead loaned to Lausanne Sport.

Orozco featured in 11 of Fortaleza CEIF’s senior squads this season, earning two substitute appearances and two starts in Colombia’s top flight. United are acquiring him on the basis that he has genuine first-team potential in the longer term, though no firm decisions on his pathway will be made until his assessment is complete.

The dual signings reflect United’s broadened academy recruitment strategy, a direct response to post-Brexit regulations that restrict the club from signing players from across Europe. Targeting highly rated youngsters from outside Europe has become a central plank of the club’s long-term planning.