Leicester City‘s Jeremy Monga is on the verge of joining Manchester City after they entered the race to sign the Arsenal target.
The 16-year-old has been a long-standing target for the Gunners, who had believed they were on the path to secure the winger amid interest from Newcastle United.
City Hijack Complete
Previously, it was believed that Arsenal were clear favourites to sign Monga, who emerged as a squad player for the Foxes during their relegation campaign in the Championship.
Last week, it was reported by the Times that Leicester had rejected an opening offer of £5 million from Mikel Arteta’s side, with a previous report from the Athletic stating that the League One club were demanding an eight-figure fee.
However, Arsenal have now been pipped at the post by their Premier League title rivals from last season in Manchester City, with Ben Jacobs reporting that a deal has been struck to the value of over £10 million to head to the Etihad Stadium.
The BBC’s Sami Mokbel broke the news that City had lodged enquiries, with Jacobs adding that it was Enzo Maresca, who had recently succeeded Pep Guardiola, who was the driving force behind the move, having previously known him from his stint at the King Power.
Arsenal had submitted an improved offer of £6.5 million for the 16-year-old, still short of Leicester’s valuation, with Fabrizio Romano reporting later that Arsenal have now been knocked out of the race following the Cityzens’ advancement.
Leicester City are in need of selling many of their stars in order to fund their transfer activity this summer, with Harry Winks also reportedly on his way out after entering talks with Cagliari.
Massive Blow For Gunners
Arsenal may have rested on their laurels for too long over Jeremy Monga, and have now lost the chance to sign their star of the future amid short-term concerns about their wing options.
On the left-hand side, both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have just a year left on their deals, and with no news of whether they will renew either player, Mikel Arteta is now in dire need to find a solution should they choose to part ways.
While Eberechi Eze can play on that flank from his time at Crystal Palace, the Gunners seemingly prefer him to play in a more central role, meaning that they are likely to enter the market amid links to PSG’s Bradley Barcola.
Monga’s versatility could have been useful on the other side too, with Bukayo Saka likely to need a lot more rest during the opening stint of the new season as he tries to recover from injury issues he has been battling for England during the World Cup.
What Next For Monga?
Heading to Manchester City is a massive step for Jeremy Monga, but with so many stars in their ranks, it is harder to see whether he will be afforded the same amount of first-team opportunities he could have got with Arsenal.
However, working with his former manager in Enzo Maresca, has been a decisive factor and he will now head to the North West.
Both Jeremy Doku and Savinho were regulars in Pep Guardiola’s final season in charge, and Jack Grealish could be handed a lifeline as he returns from his promising loan at Everton.
As they have done with a fellow promising star winger in Mathys Detourbet, who has gone to Monaco, Monga could be afforded a loan this season, and handing him his first season of regular starting appearances should be the best course of action.
