Man City land another transfer win over Arsenal after beating rivals to £12.5m deal
Arsenal and Manchester City are expected to battle it out for the Premier League title again next season but the two clubs are also going against each other on the transfer front
Manchester City are poised to poach a teenage prodigy from Arsenal's academy — just days after beating them to a deal for the sought-after Leicester City winger, Jeremy Monga.
The newly minted Premier League champions had emerged as the red-hot favourites to land Monga following Leicester's relegation and talks over a deal for the 16-year-old were at an advanced stage before City attempted a hijack by swooping in last week.
Monga is now set to head to The Etihad in a deal worth £12.5million in total with Arsenal subsequently withdrawing their interest in the talented England Under-18 international.
And the Gunners now look set to lose out on another talented young player to their title rivals, this time from their own academy.
The Mail report that Mishel Nduka is in talks to join Manchester City rather than penning fresh terms with Arsenal following his scholarship.
Nduka, a midfielder, joined Arsenal back in September 2025 from Charlton and has impressed in the academy sphere. He follows Kyran Thompson in deciding to leave Arsenal for a rival, with the same report claiming Thompson is set to join Tottenham.
The departures come during a transitional period for Arsenal's academy, with manager Per Mertesacker moving on. The club appointed Pascal De Maesschalck from Strasbourg as their new academy director last week.
While both Arsenal and Manchester City have designs on strengthening at a senior level, they are among the biggest Premier League clubs who are constantly on the lookout for emerging young talent.
Monga was on the radar of a host of European heavyweights after featuring regularly for Leicester in the Championship last season, where he impressed despite a poor campaign for the club which culminated in relegation to the third tier.
The winger's capture is an early win for Manchester City's new manager, Enzo Maresca, who knows Monga from his time in charge of Leicester.
Monga has already made his top-flight bow and is the third-youngest player to appear in a Premier League match, making his debut aged 15 years and 271 days.
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