City have formally agreed a deal to sign Mishel Nduka, closing out a pursuit first reported on this site back on 9 July.
David Ornstein confirmed the agreement, with the 16-year-old set to undergo a medical in Manchester before joining on scholarship terms, with a professional contract expected to follow once he’s old enough to sign one.
Nduka turned down a lucrative long-term offer from Arsenal to make the move, having spent just one season at the club since arriving at London Colney from Charlton Athletic last September.
He made ten appearances for Arsenal’s Under-18s, featured twice at Premier League 2 level, and picked up a UEFA Youth League appearance along the way, in addition to earning seven caps for England’s Under-16s.
It’s a deal that follows an increasingly familiar pattern this summer. City have now beaten Arsenal to two academy prospects inside a matter of weeks, having already completed the £10m signing of Jeremy Monga from Leicester at Arsenal’s expense earlier in the window.
Neither move will directly affect City’s first-team plans this season, of course, but both point to a club continuing to invest seriously at academy level even while continuing to conduct significant business higher up the squad.
