Jeremy Monga Transfer: How Man City ‘Jumped’ Ahead of Arsenal

Arsenal face missing out on teenage prodigy Jeremy Monga as Manchester City have reportedly struck a deal to sign the 16-year-old.

The Gunners were thought to be furthest along in pursuit of Monga, who is the third youngest player in Premier League history after Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri. He debuted for Leicester City aged 15 years, 271 days in April 2025 and then played 27 times in the EFL Championship last season.

The Athletic revealed Man City’s interest in Monga, who primarily operates on the left flank, on Thursday, and Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed that a deal has been agreed to take the teenager to the Etihad Stadium this summer.

The fee involved is thought to be over £10 million ($13.4 million), which was deemed too high for Arsenal and left the door open for City to steal in.

Monga is now on track to become the second signing of the Maresca era at City, who confirmed the arrival of midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for a whopping £116 million ($153.9 million) on Thursday.

Enzo Maresca Capitalizes on Arsenal Hesitance

Manchester City seemingly have new boss Enzo Maresca to thank for “driving” interest in Monga, who had already been on his radar for some time.

According to The Athletic, Maresca remained aware of Monga from his own time in charge at Leicester. The youngster never played a first-team game while Maresca was manager during the 2023–24 season, but he seemingly still left an impression on the Italian, who has offered up his long-term vision for the youngster.

Exactly what role Monga would have at City next season is unclear. Jérémy Doku has the left wing locked down and is supported by a versatile group of players who have been known to fill in, including Omar Marmoush and Phil Foden.

Monga, one of English soccer’s most prodigious emerging talents, could become the specialist understudy to Doku but isn’t likely to frequently start at his age, while playing in age-restricted matches is unlikely to benefit him. Still, Leicester’s relegation at the end of last season means the alternative is playing in League One in 2026–27.

Brentford had also been keeping tabs, which would have been an interesting prospect for Monga given the club’s reputation for developing talent, but City have done enough to win the race for his signature.

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