Arsenal have suffered a devastating blow in their pursuit of Leicester City winger Jeremy Monga.
Manchester City have reportedly agreed a £10 million deal to sign Monga despite the Leicester City wonderkid already agreeing personal terms with Arsenal.
The Premier League champions were determined to win the race and even submitted an official offer last month.
Leicester stood firm throughout negotiations, demanding around £10m plus a 15 per cent sell-on clause to approve the transfer.
Arsenal were reportedly unwilling to match those demands and instead hoped that the League One side would eventually lower their valuation.
The Foxes reduced their asking price from an initial £15m to £10m but refused to offer any further compromise.
Monga is widely regarded as one of the most gifted young players currently emerging from English football.
He announced himself to the football world by making his Premier League debut at just 15 before gaining invaluable first-team experience last season.
The teenager made 27 league appearances during the campaign and etched his name into the record books by becoming the youngest goalscorer in Championship history.
Monga would have been an exciting addition to Arsenal’s ecosystem.
The remarkable progress of Max Dowman and Myles Lewis-Skelly has already demonstrated that Arsenal provide a genuine pathway from the academy to the first team.
Monga would have developed further in that environment, but he now looks set to represent Man City.
This transfer saga should also serve as an important lesson for sporting director Andrea Berta, highlighting the need to move more decisively in future negotiations rather than allowing key targets to slip away.
Stats from Fotmob.com