Man City hijack Arsenal's move for Leicester wonderkid Monga

Queens Park Rangers v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship

Arsenal's pursuit of Leicester City winger Jeremy Monga has hit a serious obstacle, with Manchester City reportedly mounting a strong push to hijack the deal as new boss Enzo Maresca looks to reunite with the 16-year-old sensation he first worked with during his time at the King Power Stadium.

City enter the fray for Monga

Man City have emerged as serious contenders to sign Leicester City starlet Monga, potentially scuppering Arsenal's long-standing interest in the player. While the Gunners remain the furthest along in negotiations, City are now trying to steal the 16-year-old prodigy from under their rival's noses.

Newcastle United v Chelsea - Premier League

The Maresca factor in the race

A driving force behind City’s sudden move is the influence of manager Maresca. The Italian coach is personally pushing for the reunion, having worked with Monga during his tenure at Leicester City throughout the 2023-24 campaign. This window of opportunity has allowed Maresca and the city hierarchy to position themselves as a viable alternative to Arsenal for the highly rated winger.

Record-breaking exploits at Leicester

Monga made his Premier League debut aged just 15 years and 271 days against Newcastle in April 2025, making him the third-youngest player in Premier League history, behind only Arsenal duo Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri. He went on to make seven substitute appearances as Leicester suffered relegation from the top flight at the end of that season.

Monga added another record to his name just months later, becoming the youngest goalscorer in Championship history when he struck in a 2-1 defeat at Preston North End in August 2025, aged 16 years and 37 days. The strike saw him surpass a mark previously held by Jude Bellingham, who had scored for Birmingham City in 2019 at 16 years and 63 days old.

Jeremy Monga - Leicester 2025-26

What comes next?

Leicester have historically had a strong record of holding onto their academy talent, but recent years have told a different story, with promising prospects such as Tyrese Noubissie and Trey Nyoni departing for Man City and Liverpool, respectively.

Losing Monga – arguably the club's brightest young asset – would represent another significant blow, making the fee negotiations with whichever club wins the race all the more crucial for Leicester as they look to rebuild following back-to-back relegations.