Man City and Pep now leading Liverpool in race to sign young £15m attacker

Manchester City are in pole position and ahead of rivals Liverpool when it comes to signing a £15 million teenager, according to a new report.

Guardiola wants Man City to win the FA Cup for Kevin De Bruyne

Belgian international Kevin De Bruyne is leaving the Blues at the end of the season, after announcing the news at the beginning of this month. It will put an end to his 10 years at the club, during which time he has won 16 trophies, including the Premier League and Champions League.

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De Bruyne revealed earlier this week that it was City who decided he would be leaving, as they didn’t offer a new contract, which “surprised” him. He said: “I have not had any offer the whole year; they just took a decision.

“Obviously, I was a bit surprised, but I just have to accept it. Honestly, I still think I can perform at this level like I’m showing, but I understand clubs have to make decisions.”

The 33-year-old has since been linked with moves to different teams in the MLS, while Italian side Como are keeping an eye on his situation. It was reported by Sky Sports that Aston Villa have held internal talks over signing De Bruyne this summer. The Belgian will be concentrating on finishing the season strong, and Pep Guardiola believes winning the FA Cup would be a “good way” for De Bruyne to leave the club.

“He has proved [himself by] the amount of minutes he has played since he announced that it is the last month for him at Manchester City. Yeah, it would be good.”

Man City leading Liverpool in race to sign new £15m teenager

As De Bruyne weighs up the next step in his career, the Blues have their eye on a new arrival who will hope to have the same success as the Belgian. According to Football Insider, Man City are now leading the race to sign Jeremy Monga from Leicester City.

The report states that the Blues are ahead of Liverpool, who are also keen on signing the 15-year-old, and are now expected to wrap up the deal for him to move to the Etihad this summer, unless something drastic happens.

City are keen on signing Monga, as they believe the player fits the profile of the young players they have been looking to sign, as well as him being suited to their system and youth model.

The Blues have had a long-term interest in the left-winger, as back in January, City joined the race to sign Monga, who was also being looked at by Paris Saint-Germain. The England under-16 international has come through the academy at the King Power Stadium, and in this campaign, despite the Foxes’ struggles on the pitch, Monga has made his Premier League debut in a 16th-minute cameo against Newcastle United, as well as featuring late on against Liverpool.

Leicester’s relegation has now been confirmed, and therefore, Ruud van Nistelrooy could be willing to hand Monga more minutes on the pitch, despite the fact he looks set to leave and join City.

Back in January it was reported that Leicester valued Monga at around £15 million, and that could be the fee the Blues are going to have to pay to complete this transfer.