Arsenal lead race for 16-year-old Leicester attacker Monga despite Brentford and Newcastle hijack bids

Arsenal are in pole position to sign 16-year-old Leicester City attacker Jeremy Monga, though Brentford and Newcastle have made late moves to hijack the deal as the transfer window intensifies around the highly-rated teenager.

Monga, an England U18 international described internally as a prospect with genuine first-team potential, is the third-youngest player to appear in the Premier League — behind only Arsenal’s own Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri. Sporting director Andrea Berta has been personally involved in Arsenal’s pursuit, reflecting the club’s determination to rebuild the depth of their academy pipeline after falling behind key rivals in recent years.

Any deal cannot be formally completed until July 10, when Monga turns 17 and his first professional contract — agreed with Leicester last summer — becomes active. At that point, the Championship club can command a transfer fee. Should negotiations between the parties fail to produce an agreed figure, the matter would be settled by tribunal.

A recent precedent gives some indication of the sums involved. In February, Liverpool were ordered by the Professional Football Compensation Committee to pay Chelsea a base fee of £2.8 million for Rio Ngumoha, with bonuses taking the total to as much as £4 million, plus a 20 per cent sell-on clause.

Brentford are understood to be the latest club to register interest through Monga’s representatives at Gersh, with the west London side potentially able to offer a faster route to senior football than Arsenal. Newcastle and an unnamed German club have also entered the picture, though Arsenal are still considered the most likely destination.

Monga made 30 appearances for Leicester last season and is expected to need patience for first-team minutes under Mikel Arteta, should he make the move to north London.

Separately, Arsenal are set to pay Sporting CP around £3.45 million in add-ons triggered by striker Viktor Gyokeres during his debut season at the Emirates. Gyokeres arrived from Lisbon last August in a deal worth an initial £55 million plus up to £8.5 million in bonuses. He registered 21 goals and three assists across all competitions, with 20 goal contributions earning Sporting a £430,000 bonus — a figure Arsenal will pay again once he reaches 40 contributions. Sporting are also due £1.08 million once the Sweden international reaches 20 appearances in which he played a significant role.