Leicester City starlet snubs Manchester City transfer interest with new contract | OneFootball

Manchester City’s recruitment team securing the next batch of young stars to be developed for the future have been hit with a blow this summer.

The latest development comes as senior officials within the Etihad Stadium have managed to secure themselves plenty of success when it comes to bolstering Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad for the forthcoming campaign and in time for the FIFA Club World Cup.

Rayan Ait-Nouri became the first big-money arrival to be announced as he penned a five-year agreement from Wolves in a £31 million deal, while the Algerian is expected to be followed by Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan, Rayan Cherki from Lyon, and Marcus Bettinelli from Chelsea.

Aside from the big-name deals completed by the club, there has been a long-standing focus placed on ensuring that the Academy system remains at the very forefront of the game, and one target for the club in recent months has been Leicester City’s Jeremy Monga.

In early March, it was reported that officials at the City Football Academy were moving to seal a move for the teenage attacking talent, with it believed to be likely that any deal would need to go through a tribunal process.

However, weeks on and there has been no progress on the subject of a move to the Etihad Stadium for the player, with it now being confirmed that he has opted to commit his services to his existing club.

A statement issued this week confirmed the retention of Jeremy Monga, with the the Foxes’ release commenting, “Jeremy Monga has committed to commencing his professional career as a Leicester City player, with an agreement now in place to secure the talented teenager’s future at King Power Stadium.”

The recently-relegated Premier League side continued in their statement, “Jeremy will begin his Academy scholarship this summer with his first professional contract scheduled to commence in summer 2026.

“Our second-youngest appearance maker and the second-youngest player in Premier League history, having made the first of his seven Premier League appearances against Newcastle United in April, aged 15 years and 271 days, Jeremy is among an exciting group currently progressing on our Academy pathway, which he joined as an Under-9.”

It remains to be seen whether Manchester City will feel a need to bolster their attacking ranks within the Academy any further, in light of missing out on a player of Jeremy Monga’s qualities.

However, the decision from the youngster will no doubt come as a huge boost to the now-Championship club as they prepare to target an immediate return to Premier League football following a hugely disappointing campaign.