Man City Swoop for Monga as Arsenal's Bid Falls Away

It's been a torrid transfer window for Arsenal in attack, and things have just got worse. After seeing Julian Alvarez head to Barcelona and a £55m verbal offer for Bruno Guimaraes rejected by Newcastle, the Gunners have now watched Manchester City snatch another target from under their noses.

The casualty this time is Jeremy Monga, Leicester's 16-year-old winger, a prospect Arsenal believed they had secured back in late June. But that's no longer the case. City are now close to wrapping up a deal, and the Gunners have quietly exited the picture.

The stumbling block proved to be money. According to reports, Arsenal tabled an offer of £6.5m for Monga – well short of Leicester's £10m-£12m valuation. With the two clubs unable to agree, a tribunal would ordinarily determine the fee, but Leicester held firm in their stance. City, meanwhile, have moved to match Leicester's asking price at around £10m, a figure Arsenal were unwilling to meet.

Newcastle's refusal to budge on Guimaraes is particularly galling for Arsenal, given the Magpies' recent business – they're shifting Sandro Tonali to Tottenham for £100m and have already sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona. One might have thought that would loosen the purse strings for a sale, but the opposite has proved true. Meanwhile, an approach for Bournemouth's Alex Scott was swiftly rebuffed.

What's handed City a decisive advantage, though, is Enzo Maresca. The new Manchester City manager knows Monga intimately from his time at Leicester, and the project he's outlined has evidently struck a chord with the teenager. That personal touch has made the difference where Arsenal's approach fell short.

With Ornstein confirming Arsenal have now withdrawn entirely and Romano declaring the Gunners "definitely out of the race," Monga appears destined for the Etihad. Barring an extraordinary late development, City will have their man.