United go all out to pip noisy neighbours in the race for 16yo record breaker, Guardiola will be fuming – report

Manchester United have been extremely active when it comes to academy recruitment under INEOS. More could be on the way if Football Insider is to be believed. The Red Devils have their eye on Leicester City wonderkid Jeremy Monga. The Englishman can play as a left-sided forward and as a left midfielder, and he created history last season for the Foxes when he came on for his first-team debut against Newcastle. In the process, the Leicester academy ace, who was 15 years and 271 days at the time, became the second-youngest debutant in Premier League history. Jeremy Monga race heating up Since then, multiple top-flight clubs have been chasing his signature, with Manchester City coming very close to agreeing a deal with him in the summer. But the England U19 international chose to sign scholarship terms with the Foxes, and he has been a regular for the club in the Championship this term. The team have continued to suffer under Martí Cifuentes, and as per Football Insider, it won’t be long until the 16-year-old decides to jump ship. He is yet to sign a professional deal, which means he can leave for a nominal compensation fee in the summer and Pep Guardiola will want his club to win the race. However, the report states the Red Devils are hopeful they can beat their noisy neighbours to the punch. “Leicester City gem Jeremy Monga, aged just 16, is the latest young star on the Red Devils’ radar as they continue plans to build their squad for the future. United hopeful of winning the race “Manchester City were very close to signing him in the summer before he ended up agreeing scholarship terms with Leicester. “There still is the doubt at Leicester that he could leave because he hasn’t signed a professional contract yet, which he can’t do until he turns 17. “United have joined England’s biggest clubs in their pursuit of the teenager and hope they can beat their rivals to his signature should he be tempted to leave Leicester.” Should an immediate return to the Premier League not transpire, Jeremy Monga is unlikely to be playing at the King Power Stadium next season. Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25