In the latest transfer news, Jeremy Monga, the 16-year-old wonderkid who has been hitting headlines for months, is finally moving to Manchester City. This is from a tweet from Fabrizio Romano in his usual ‘Here we Go’-style, alongside independent reports from Sky Sports Paper Talk and other sources, confirming that the Leicester City teenager and England U19 international is off the market. He will be the third signing for City after the arrival of Mathys Detourbet from Troyes and Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.
This latest transfer clearly cements City’s commitment to supporting the new coach, Maresca, in the current transfer window following his appointment as Pep Guardiola’s successor. But the most likely catalyst in the whole Monga transfer is Maresca. The new City boss had a stint with Monga during his time at Leicester in the 2023/24 campaign, so he likely pulled the strings for the reunion.
According to Fabrizio, City has lured Leicester with a fee of around £10m, and personal terms are also in place for Jeremy Monga to join the Etihad. Well, this was a good package for Leicester compared to Arsenal’s modest £5m initial offer. The price was the major reason for Leicester snubbing Arsenal, as it is widely agreed that the young lad had a preference for Arsenal.
It’s sad that Leicester, because of their precarious situation characterized by cash crunches and back-to-back relegations, had to release a bright star yet again, just like they released Tyrese Noubissie and Trey Nyoni, who departed for Man City and Liverpool, respectively.
Who is Jeremy Monga? Should Doku Be Worried?
Jeremy Monga is regarded as one of the best prodigies from the Leicester academy, and despite his young age, he has attracted attention for his exquisite dribbling skills, explosiveness on both wings, and maturity and calm while in possession.
He made 37 first-team appearances for Leicester, and interestingly, the first came when he was only 15 years and 271 days. Notably, he became the third-youngest player to feature in a Premier League match, behind Arsenal duo Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri. Monga also broke Jude Bellingham’s record as the youngest goalscorer in Championship history when he struck in a 2-1 defeat at Preston North End in August 2025.
Monga’s exploits at Leicester have got fans talking and asking: should his namesake Doku be worried? Well, Jeremy Doku is still on top of the game.
Jeremy Monga is regarded as a long-term investment capable of rising into a future star, and this is in line with Manchester City’s vision of building one of Europe’s strongest academy systems. For now, he is expected to progress in City’s elite academy structure before challenging for senior football. There’s also a possibility he could be sent out on loan to the English Football League.
Interest From Arsenal
While Monga’s imminent arrival at the Etihad is the best news for The Citizens, it is a big blow to Arsenal, who have been eying the winger for months. The Gunners seemed to be the likely winners, but for some reason, talks broke down, and Arteta seemed no longer interested in the prospect of bringing Monga to the Emirates.
This is definitely a move that has not gone well with Arsenal supporters, many of whom are lashing out at the Arsenal scouting director and the entire Arsenal board for laxity, considering they have spent months negotiating this deal, only for City to negotiate and snap it up within weeks. But all is not lost, as Arsenal is still upbeat in its quest to bring in its top summer target, Morgan Rodgers, from Aston Villa; that’s where the focus could be.
