{"id":674296,"date":"2026-01-05T00:03:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T00:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/674296\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T00:03:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T00:03:15","slug":"manchester-city-in-pole-position-to-sign-teen-sensation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/674296\/","title":{"rendered":"Manchester City ‘in pole position’ to sign teen sensation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Manchester<\/p>\n

Credit: Imago<\/p>\n

\"Evan <\/p>\n

Sun 4 January 2026 21:30, UK <\/p>\n

Manchester City are leading the race to sign Troyes talent Mathys Detourbet, as several other clubs across Europe weigh up their own moves.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Detourbet was reportedly given a tour of Manchester City\u2019s training facilities<\/a> last month, as transfer chiefs attempt to buy themselves a boost in the race.<\/p>\n

The 18-year-old has featured heavily in Ligue 2 this season, but would likely be one for the future as Pep Guardiola<\/a>\u2018s team continues to grow in quality.<\/p>\n

Manchester City are expected to complete a deal for Antoine Semenyo<\/a>, with the winger\u2019s release clause to be met in the coming days.<\/p>\n

Semenyo played for Bournemouth against Arsenal<\/a> on Saturday, but it is expected that he will now complete his move to the Etihad Stadium.<\/p>\n

\"AntoineCredit: ImagoManchester City already have the advantage in Mathys Detourbet race<\/p>\n

Detourbet<\/a>, from an initial glance, would remind prompt Manchester City<\/a> fans to instantly think of Rayan Cherki<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Another Frenchman of similar stature, the former Lyon<\/a> man shares a similar gait to Detourbet and is similarly skilful.<\/p>\n\nRayan Cherki<\/td>\nPremier League 2025-26<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nAppearances<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nGoals<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nAssists<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nSuccessful dribbles<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nChances created<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES<\/p>\n

And if the 18-year-old can provide anything like the impact that Cherki has, then Manchester City would be crazy not to sign him. <\/p>\n

The midfielder has provided two goals and seven assists in the Premier League<\/a> so far this season, and is quite simply a joy to watch.<\/p>\n

According to L\u2019Equipe<\/a>, Detourbet is under contract with Troyes until 2028 and has interest from several clubs, including Roma<\/a>, Monaco, some German clubs and Manchester City.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

However, the latter already have a massive advantage in the race. Troyes fall under the ownership of City Football Group \u2013 of which Manchester City are the flagship.<\/p>\n

Manchester City used similar routine to sign Savinho<\/p>\n

The multi-club model of ownership is highly controversial. The perceived smaller clubs of the group will, usually, experience progression due to the increased funds and better loan players, but they will always be a lesser priority. <\/p>\n

The likes of Girona and Troyes in Manchester City\u2019s case, or Strasbourg<\/a> in Chelsea<\/a>\u2018s, often serve as a vehicle to develop youth. <\/p>\n

\"SavinhoCredit: Imago<\/p>\n

The bizarre circumstances that surrounded Savinho<\/a>\u2018s eventual transfer to Manchester City exhibited exactly the issues with the arrangement. <\/p>\n

The winger was Troyes\u2019 record signing when he arrived from Atletico Mineiro in 2022, but he would never play a game for them. Loans to PSV and Girona followed the move, before Manchester City signed him for a fee undoubtedly below the market rate. <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Credit: Imago Sun 4 January 2026 21:30, UK Manchester City are leading the race to sign Troyes talent…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":674297,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,393,4884,2465,886,205059,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-674296","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-manchester","12":"tag-manchester-city","13":"tag-mathys-detourbet","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115839566475741365","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=674296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/674297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}