Manchester City are reportedly closing in on hijacking Arsenal’s move for Leicester City teenager Jeremy Monga
Manchester City are reportedly poised to steal a march on Arsenal in the race to sign Leicester City’s teenage forward Jeremy Monga. The Gunners had been pushing hard to secure the signature of the 16-year-old, who has already featured in both the Premier League and the Championship.
football.london understand that a fee of between £10million and £15m has been discussed. It is also understood that thought was given to whether a spell in League One might prove more beneficial to the youngster’s development than another year in academy football.
However, that prospect now appears to have fallen away, with BBC Sport reporting that City have entered the running for his signature. Approaches have been made regarding a potential transfer in recent days, with the Athletic claiming that the Gunners have pulled out of contention due to the asking price being deemed too steep.
Monga made his Premier League bow during the 2024/25 season as a 15-year-old for Leicester, making seven league appearances between April and the end of the campaign.
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The Foxes managed to fend off interest from rival clubs last summer, despite suffering relegation to the Championship. Monga put pen to paper on an academy scholarship upon turning 16.
That agreement is set to become a professional contract this summer, on his 17th birthday on 10th July. While a transfer fee with Leicester could be negotiated, there remains the possibility of a tribunal being convened to determine whether whichever club secures his services has paid a fair price for the youngster.
The forward entered an elite group of young talents when he became the second-youngest player to feature in a Premier League match. He has since slipped to third place following Arsenal’s Max Dowman’s debut.
Monga was just 15 years, eight months and 28 days old when he came off the bench in a 3-0 defeat against Newcastle United on April 7, 2025.
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The young talent made 30 appearances across all competitions during the 2025/26 season. He etched his name into the record books by becoming the Championship’s youngest-ever goalscorer when he found the net against Preston North End in August.
The teenager has recently been representing England’s Under-18 side on international duty. He netted the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Greece Under-19s and also scored in the 6-1 thrashing of Cyprus.
Arsenal are looking to strengthen their pool of emerging talent. Dowman and Myles Lewis-Skelly have proven to be outstanding academy graduates, but the squad that clinched the Premier League title also featured William Saliba, who arrived at 18 years of age.
The Gunners have already secured deals to sign Victor Ozhianvuna, who will join the north London outfit in next season’s January transfer window.
