Newcastle United have failed in their bid to hijack Arsenal‘s pursuit of Leicester City winger Jeremy Monga, with the teenager reportedly agreeing terms with the Premier League champions.
The Gunners have been long-standing admirers of the Foxes’ winger, who played a supporting role behind Abdul Fatawu in the Championship this season with 30 appearances to his name in all competitions.
Arsenal Make Advancement
With Leicester relegated to League One, sides have pounced on trying to sign their brightest prospects, with Monga being no exception after the Athletic reported that Mikel Arteta’s side were keen on making a move for the 16-year-old, which would cost them an eight-figure fee.
However, their chase of the England youth international took a slight twist over the weekend after Pete O’Rourke revealed that Newcastle United had entered the race as they look for replacements for the outgoing Anthony Gordon.
The Magpies sold the former Everton man to Barcelona for nearly £70 million at the end of May, meaning that Eddie Howe is now looking for alternatives to play on the left-hand side of the Toon attack.
Victor Munoz of Osasuna has already been identified as a potential replacement, according to the Telegraph, and while they were also in the race for Monga, they have seemingly been handed defeat after Nicolo Schira reported that the 16-year-old has now agreed personal terms with Arsenal.
The Italian journalist has stated that the Gunners are now pressing on to strike a deal with Leicester, which has been reported could cost up to £15 million to complete.
Toon Must Press On With Other Deals
As much as they may have stood a chance to sign Jeremy Monga, Newcastle United will have to look elsewhere to find their replacement for Anthony Gordon.
Monga would have been a risky move to make considering his limited experience at just the age of 16, but with a high ceiling to where he can go, he could have become the next big star on Tyneside in years to come.
However, it seems that Arsenal were always well ahead in the race to sign the winger and have now seemingly triumphed, should they be able to come to terms with Leicester City, who can use a huge payday to rebuild their squad.
Newcastle, meanwhile, must now get on with their other targets, most notably Victor Munoz, who had a promising first season of regular La Liga football with Osasuna following his sale from Real Madrid last summer.
By no means the finished product with a limited goal output for the Pamplona-based club, expectations are high for the 22-year-old, who has already been recognised with two senior international caps for Spain in March.
