Amad Diallo is officially a Manchester United player after the Premier League club finalised his transfer from Serie A side Atalanta on Thursday.
United reached an agreement with the Italian club for the 18-year-old on October 5 – subject to a medical, work permit and personal terms.
And those have now been completed, with the highly-rated teenager signing a contract with the Red Devils until June 2025 – which includes the option of an extra year.
United have paid Atalanta an initial fee of £19m for the Ivorian’s services but that could rise by a further £18.2m due to add-ons.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Manchester United have brought in ‘one of the most exciting young prospects in the game’.
‘As a club, we have followed Amad for a number of years,’ the United manager told the club’s official website.
‘And, having watched him myself, I believe he is one of the most exciting young prospects in the game.
‘Manchester United has such a proud history of developing young players and everything is in place to enable Amad to reach his potential here.
‘It will take time for him to adapt, but his speed, vision and fantastic dribbling ability will stand him in good stead to make the transition.
‘He is a player with all of the raw attributes that are needed to be an important player for Manchester United in the years to come.’
Diallo, who is now just awaiting visa clearance before travelling to Manchester, cannot wait to get started in his new environment.
‘After waiting since the summer, it is finally a dream come true to complete my move to Manchester United,’ he said.
‘I am hugely ambitious and there is so much that I want to achieve in the game; when I spoke to the manager I knew that I had joined the perfect club.
‘This is a really exciting squad with so many great players, I can promise that I will work hard every day to learn from them and give everything to develop my game.
‘The coaches have been fantastic since I signed, we have been in touch regularly and they have already given me a lot of great advice.
‘I have had time to prepare for this move, both physically and mentally, and I have worked really hard to be ready to make the step up to this amazing club.’
Diallo, who will wear the No 19 shirt, is the first player to be signed and registered under post-Brexit rules. The paperwork over his move was submitted just after midnight on New Year’s Day and was approved the same day.
He needed governing body exemption before he could apply for a UK visa, which he did in Rome earlier this week.
The teenager will fly to England once it is approved and will not have to quarantine as he was part of Atalanta’s ‘bubble’.
