Man City beat Arsenal to Leicester teen star Jeremy Monga in £12.5m deal

Manchester City have stolen a march on Arsenal by agreeing a £12.5 million deal to sign 17-year-old winger Jeremy Monga from Leicester City, according to sources close to the negotiations. The Premier League champions had been trailing their title rivals in the race for the highly rated England youth international, but City have now moved ahead after accelerating their interest under new boss Enzo Maresca — who previously coached Monga during his spell in charge of the Foxes. Arsenal, led by Mikel Arteta, were thought to be in pole position to land the teenager, while Brentford also monitored the situation. Yet City have managed to hijack the move just as Monga was set to sign his first professional contract at the King Power Stadium. Monga, who turns 17 on Friday, had agreed a one-year scholarship deal with Leicester that would automatically convert into a professional contract on his birthday. That triggered a transfer fee, with City prepared to pay £12.5 million upfront. While the sum is significant for a player his age, it is not without precedent. Tottenham paid £30 million for Archie Gray at 18, Manchester United spent £27 million on Luke Shaw as a teenager, and Arsenal themselves invested up to £12.5 million in 16-year-old Theo Walcott back in 2006. Monga became Leicester’s youngest ever starter at 16 years and 34 days old last August, making his debut in the Carabao Cup against Huddersfield. He went on to make seven substitute appearances in the Premier League and was handed his top-flight debut by Ruud van Nistelrooy against Newcastle in April 2025, playing the final 16 minutes of a 3-0 defeat at St James’ Park. He currently ranks as the third-youngest player ever to feature in the competition, behind Arsenal duo Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri. “It was a crazy experience,” Monga said of his first Premier League outing. “At first I was obviously nervous but when I got onto the pitch all the nerves went away. I feel like I did all right — there is always room for improvement.” It remains unclear whether Monga will immediately join City’s first-team squad or begin in the academy. A place on the club’s pre-season tour of Hong Kong and Seoul is possible, where fellow youngsters Vitor Reis, Sverre Nypan and Divine Mukasa could also feature. City’s forward line is packed with established internationals, meaning game time may be limited initially. But those who have worked with Monga believe he has the mentality to thrive. Callum Powell of CP Coaching Academy, who coached Monga during his childhood at Coventry City, said: “Initially Jeremy was quite reserved, but he goes about himself in the correct way. He is polite, well mannered and brings good energy without being loud. His ability to manipulate the ball and his dribbling are his main traits. The most exciting thing is his ability to react and beat opposition players.”