Leicester City will do “absolutely everything they can” to convince Jeremy Monga his future is best-served at his current club.
The talented 15-year-old’s potential is such that he is attracting interest from around Europe, with Manchester City the frontrunners to sign him.
But Leicester have not given up on keeping him and a plan has been presented to him and his representatives.
That plan would see Monga permanently promoted to the first-team set-up from the summer, once his final year of schooling is finished.
He has been touted as a potential star of the future since winning the Under-16 Premier League Cup with Leicester last season, when he was aged just 14.
The past fortnight has seen the winger captain England Under-16s in three matches against Colombia, Denmark, and France in which he scored in all three.
“He’s part of our training set-up in the days it’s possible for him within his school programme,” manager Ruud van Nistelrooy said at his press conference on Friday.
“He’s had games in the Under-21s, playing for the national team. He did very well with the Under-16s for England as captain, and scored.
“We follow his programme very closely. Within that he is training with us. The priority is to keep him at the club.
“Conversations have been there, with myself, the club, with Jeremy, his agent and his family.
“We have presented him the plan we have for him. It’s ongoing. We’ll do absolutely everything we can to keep him here.”
Fans had been hoping that Monga, who was on the bench for the FA Cup tie at Manchester United, would be given an opportunity over the final 11 Premier League fixtures of this season.
That would then offer him proof of how important City feel he is, and may also help their cause if he does leave and his transfer fee is decided by a tribunal.
But first-team appearances seem unlikely because his school commitments mean he can only train with the senior group once or twice a week.
“We are limited in the sessions because of school,” van Nistelrooy added. “But it’s about the plan we have for him next season that will change.
“It’s a part of the plan for him to be a part of pre-season and then take it from there. We see in him a player who can have an impact sooner rather than later.”
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