Manchester City have secured the signing of 17-year-old winger Jeremy Monga from Leicester City for a fee of £12.5m, beating Arsenal to the highly rated teenager.
Monga joins City with Maresca connection
Monga, who turned 17 on Friday, was also coveted by Arsenal but City pushed hard to complete the deal. Head coach Enzo Maresca knows the youngster from his promotion-winning season in charge at Leicester in 2023-24. Monga joined Leicester at the age of eight and can play on both flanks. Born in Coventry, he has represented England at various age groups up to the under-19s.
Player's reaction to the move
“When I became aware that Manchester City were interested, I knew instantly this was the right choice for me,” Monga told his new club’s website. “For any young footballer, to become part of this amazing club is a dream come true.
“This has been the best club in England over the past 10 years. And it has also handed opportunities to players from the academy like Phil Foden and Nico O’Reilly which shows that the pathway is there. It is a privilege to be here and I’m delighted to have joined.”
Record-breaking young talent
Monga is widely regarded as one of the most prodigious talents in the country. In April 2025, at the age of 15 years and 271 days, he became the second-youngest player to make his Premier League debut. Last August, aged 16 and 34 days, he became the youngest player to start a game for Leicester. Three days later, by scoring at Preston, he became the Championship’s youngest goalscorer, breaking a record previously held by Jude Bellingham.
Leicester's relegation context
Leicester were relegated from the Championship to League One at the end of last season, which may have influenced Monga's decision to move to City.
