Manchester City are closing in on the signing of a new left-back talent to develop within the City Football Academy and first-team set-up, according to reports.
Officials from the Etihad Stadium, alongside knowledge input from their City Football Group colleagues at New York City, have been monitoring the rising talents of Christian McFarlane for several years, both in the USA and in England.
It had been previously understood that Manchester City invited McFarlane as a 15-year-old to their City Football Academy training base and discussed a possible move to the club in 2024, following rejected moves to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
The teenager moved to NYCFC in 2018, before signing his first professional contract with the club at the age of just 14 years and seven months, become the third-youngest player to sign a Major League Soccer contract.
Having been promoted into New York City FC II’s and making his senior and professional debut with as a half-time substitute in a 2–1 win over Inter Miami CF II in May 2022, the biggest leap of the teenager’s exciting career could now be on the verge of completion.
It is further revealed that the 17-year-old defender has already rejected bids from Brighton & Hove Albion as well as unnamed German clubs in favour of a move into the Manchester City project.
As present, it remains to be seen what Manchester City have planned for the teenage defensive talent, however it has been previously understood that the club were on the look out for a direct replacement for the recently-departed Sergio Gomez this summer.
Whilst Pep Guardiola is content with his current left-back options in Nathan Ake and Josko Gvardiol, the club believe there is a need for a more traditional solution to come into the squad and develop whilst not necessarily seeing regular starting game-time.
Whether that player is Christian McFarlane or not remains to be seen.
McFarlane has represented both England and the United States at international youth level, having been born in Basildon, Essex but moving to the USA at the age of three, also being of Jamaican descent.
Having been called up to a training camp for the United States under-16s in August 2022, McFarlane represented England under-16 in friendly matches in November 2022, before being once again called up to the USA U-16s for the 2023 U-16 International Dream Cup.
However, in September 2023, McFarlane made his England U17 debut in a 3–2 defeat to Portugal, before being included in the England squad for the 2024 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and going on to start three of their four games at the tournament.
