Manchester City midfielder set to join Strasbourg despite Manchester United transfer interest | OneFootball

One of the primary talents within Manchester City’s Academy is set to take his first professional steps elsewhere, despite efforts to retain him from the Etihad Stadium.

City’s development programme has become the gold standard in English football over the last decade, but not every elite talent produced at the City Football Academy chooses to commit their long-term future to the club.

The latest emerging name, Tyrese Noubissie, appears to be heading for a new challenge — and one that Manchester City could do little to prevent. The highly-rated midfielder has emerged as a leading figure in his age group, both for club and country.

His technical ability, tactical intelligence, and maturity on and off the ball have drawn admirers, and scouts across Europe have been watching his development for over 18 months, while City had hoped to convince the player and his representatives of a clear pathway.

While losing Academy prospects is not uncommon for elite clubs, the departure of Noubissie will come as a disappointment, perhaps with hopes of following in the footsteps of players like Oscar Bobb, Rico Lewis, and Nico O’Reilly.

Now, according to the information of French newspaper L’Equipe, Manchester City are set to lose one of their primary midfield talents as the 16-year-old midfielder is set to join Ligue 1 side Strasbourg on a professional contract.

Tyrese Noubissie, who recently captained the French national team for his age group, is set to leave the City Football Academy despite a proposal from the club over committing his future to a long-term contract.

Despite approaches from several top European clubs, including the Bundesliga’s Bayer Leverkusen, Eredivisie’s Ajax, and City’s rivals Manchester United, Noubissie has been convinced by BlueCo’s project – the parent company behind Strasbourg and owners of Chelsea.

The influence of BlueCo’s multi-club model may have played a key role in Noubissie’s decision, with Strasbourg seemingly operating as a hub for Chelsea’s own emerging recruitment network.

Given recent examples such as Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer, and Liam Delap, Noubissie may also have been offered a more immediate senior transition pathway by moving to Strasbourg, with a long-term view of developing into a Premier League option under Chelsea’s ownership.

City, for their part, will likely turn full attention towards other emerging midfielders in their ranks such as Divine Mukasa and Ryan McAidoo, with the former having attracted notable transfer interest from across Europe in the last six months in particular.