---
title: "Man City set to land highly-rated Aston Villa academy talent"
canonical: "https://readmancity.com/2026/07/08/man-city-set-to-land-highly-rated-aston-villa-academy-talent/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Gary Gowers"
section: "Man City Academy News"
published: "2026-07-08T06:59:45Z"
modified: "2026-07-08T07:00:13Z"
---

# Man City set to land highly-rated Aston Villa academy talent

**City are continuing to strengthen their academy pipeline, with highly-rated youngster Heaven Kilwa set to join from Aston Villa this summer.**

The 16-year-old winger has turned down a scholarship offer to stay at Villa Park, according to [The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/aston-villa-forward-set-join-143000167.html), becoming the only player in his age group to decline fresh terms there. Because of his age and homegrown status, City will not pay a transfer fee, with Villa instead due training compensation.

Kilwa has represented England at both Under-15 and Under-16 level and made half a dozen appearances for Villa’s Under-18s last season, scoring twice. He is regarded as one of the most sought-after academy prospects outside the Premier League’s traditional big-six pipelines, with interest from elsewhere in the top flight before City moved to secure him.

The expectation is that Kilwa will initially join City’s Under-18 squad, with a route through to Oliver Reiss’s Elite Development Squad set-up should he continue to impress. Manager Enzo Maresca — who has already made clear his willingness to work with younger players during pre-season — could give him exposure to first-team training further down the line if his progress warrants it.

The move continues a pattern under director of football Hugo Viana, who has prioritised recruiting elite domestic and European academy talent before their value climbs — [Kilwa is the latest in a run of similar additions](https://readmancity.com/) — this summer. His arrival suggests that approach shows no sign of slowing.