Jeremy Monga has officially joined Manchester City from Leicester City on a five-year deal until 2031, with the fee reported by Sky Sports News at 10 million pounds plus add-ons.
The 17-year-old becomes Enzo Maresca’s second summer signing following Elliott Anderson’s arrival from Nottingham Forest.
The recruitment of Monga represents exactly the kind of forward-thinking acquisition that has defined City’s approach to building for the future, and director of football Hugo Viana made no attempt to hide the club’s excitement at landing a player they had been monitoring closely for some time.
The story of how Monga arrived at this moment is one worth telling in full.
Born in Coventry of Zambian descent, he joined Leicester City’s academy at age eight and progressed through every age group before his development took on a truly extraordinary pace.
At just 15 years and 271 days old, he made his Premier League debut as a substitute against Newcastle United in April 2025, becoming the second-youngest player in the history of the English top flight behind only Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri.
He wore a sponsorless shirt to comply with UK gambling advertising laws, a small detail that captured just how young he really was.
That was just the beginning.
Following Leicester’s relegation, Monga, who was also rumoured to have accepted to join Arsenal, remained at the club and wasted no time in making his mark in the Championship.
In August 2025 he became the youngest player to start a game for Leicester City in a Carabao Cup fixture against Huddersfield Town.
Three days later he broke a record that had stood in Jude Bellingham’s name, becoming the youngest goalscorer in Championship history when he found the net against Preston North End at just 16 years and 37 days old.
Across the 2025-26 campaign, Monga made 30 appearances in all competitions for Leicester, contributing one goal and two assists, taking his overall senior tally to 37 appearances for the Foxes across both divisions.
City’s interest had been known for some time, with Arsenal and Brentford also credited with serious pursuit.
But Monga made clear that the opportunity to join the club that handed Phil Foden and Nico O’Reilly their pathways to the top was the decisive factor.
“When I became aware that Manchester City were interested, I knew instantly this was the right choice for me,” he said upon signing.
“For any young footballer, to become part of this amazing club is a dream come true.”
Viana added that at 17, the belief at the City Football Academy is that Monga’s development has only just begun.
Few who have watched him would argue with that assessment.