Manchester United have, officially, been given the green light to formally announce the signing of Cristian Orozco.
It was widely reported last September that the Red Devils had successfully negotiated a pre-contract agreement for Orozco to leave Colombian top-division side Fortaleza CEIF and head to Old Trafford once he turned 18.
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On Monday, July 13, 2026, Orozco turned 18 which means he can now be registered by Man United.
According to the Express, Orozco has already touched down in England to acclimatise. He previously visited Manchester back in December, where he was given a tour of the Carrington training ground and Old Trafford.
United have moved swiftly to secure the signing of a player who captained Colombia to the final of the South American Under-17 Championship on home soil in early 2025 and has already impressed at club level after moving up last summer.
It follows a growing trend of Premier League giants snapping up the best young footballing talent from South America, with Paraguayan teenage left-back Diego Leon joining United from Cerro Porteno last July.
Orozco is one of three deals set to be announced by Man United, though the teenager is expected to start out with the under-21’s - unlike Andrey Santos and Karl Darlow.
Standard Sport understands that while Man Utd are yet to reach a full agreement for either Santos or Darlow, there is an expectation that both deals will be finalised in the coming days.
As reported by Standard Sport last week, United have agreed to pay Chelsea £48million plus an additional £2m in performance-related add-ons for the Brazilian midfielder, who is seeking regular first-team football.
Darlow, meanwhile, is set to join United on a free transfer to provide back-up to first-choice goalkeeper Senne Lammens after leaving rivals Leeds at the end of June following the expiration of his contract.
