Arsenal will not be signing Jeremy Monga – he is on his way to Manchester City instead.
Andrea Berta seemed to be in the driving seat to sign the talented teenager, and for a long time, it looked like he would be moving to the Emirates Stadium.
However, Manchester City came in late, convinced the player to join them and struck a deal with Leicester City to sign him.
But why did Arsenal fail in their pursuit?
What grade are you giving Andrea Berta? Explain your answers!
Manchester City nearly doubled Arsenal’s final offer for Jeremy Monga
Jeremy Monga is one of the most exciting young players in the country.
The 16-year-old has already played senior football for Leicester City, and many in the game believe he has the potential to become an absolute superstar.
Arsenal were right to try and sign Monga and even made a couple of official bids to sign him.
The last of those offers, according to Ben Jacobs, was worth £6.5 million, which is a lot of money for someone as young as Monga.
However, Manchester City arrived with a £12.5 million offer and also a percentage of future sale.
Arsenal were never going to go that far for a 16-year-old, which is why they withdrew their interest and ended their pursuit.
Jacobs said on talkSPORT: “Arsenal’s last offer, according to my information, was only about £6.5 million.
“So Manchester City, in terms of the total package, have essentially doubled what Arsenal were prepared to pay. But they were pushing hard and also in advanced talks on the player side.
“But a few days ago, Arsenal withdrew, and Manchester City are going to get the young teenage Leicester City winger Jeremy Monga.”
Imagine you are Andrea Berta. Who is your top target for Arsenal in the summer transfer window?
Arsenal were right to walk away from the Jeremy Monga deal
Missing out on a talent like Monga is definitely annoying, and the speed at which Manchester City struck a deal made it seem like they had embarrassed Arsenal.
However, now that the details have emerged, Berta was right to walk away.
£12.5 million for a 16-year-old is crazy money. There is no guarantee that Monga will fulfil his massive potential – he may not even make it into the Manchester City first team.
Arsenal’s £6.5 million was more than fair. But Leicester’s demand and City’s willingness to essentially double that figure made no sense for the Gunners to stay involved.
That is why they withdrew their interest, and we are glad that they did.
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