Manchester City have beaten Arsenal to the £12.5m signing of the 17-year-old Jeremy Monga from Leicester City.

Monga was coveted by Arsenal but City pushed hard to sign the teenager, who head coach Enzo Maresca knows from his promotion-winning season in charge at Leicester in 2023-24.

Monga, who joined Leicester aged eight, turned 17 on Friday and is a winger who can play on both flanks. Born in Coventry, he has represented England at various age groups until and including Under-19s.

“When I became aware that Manchester City were interested, I knew instantly this was the right choice for me,” Monga told the Manchester City 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.”

Monga, who in April 2025 aged 15 and 271 days became the second-youngest player to make his Premier League debut, is widely regarded one of the most prodigious talents in the country.

Last August, aged 16 and 34 days, he became the youngest player to start a game for Leicester and three days later, by scoring at Preston, he became the Championship’s youngest goalscorer, breaking the record that had previously been held by Jude Bellingham.