Manchester City have reportedly made an offer to sign Le Havre talent Ilyes Benlebsir for free at the end of this season, with the 17-year-old’s deal set to expire in the coming months.
According to L’Equipe, the Premier League giants are looking to expand their presence in France following the City Football Group acquisition of ESTAC Troyes last year, with the Manchester side eager to bring French talents to the City academy.
As per the report, City are eyeing a number of talents across France to add to their development squads, yet Benlebsir looks set to be the first name that will join the club this summer, with the 17-year-old regarded as an ‘exciting’ talent.
Le Havre is viewed by many as one of the great world-class academies in football, with the likes of Paul Pogba, Riyad Mahrez and Dimitri Payet all coming through the famous French club, with City hedging their bets that Benlebsir could be next.
With the success of Phil Foden and Cole Palmer and James McAtee set to break into the first-team next season, it makes sense why City are driving up their youth recruitment to target those on the continent.
Indeed, City’s academy has flourished over the years into one of the best in world football, and for Benlebsir, heading to Manchester to further his development could be a step in the right direction for the talented 17-year-old.
Benlebsir would be making a smart move leaving Le Havre for City
From one of the best academies in Europe to another, Benlebsir is seemingly on his way to becoming a fine player, and with City now eager to develop and play promising talents from their development squads, leaving Le Havre for England could be wise for the teenager.
With City’s youth recruiting and career planning some of the best in football, Benlebsir is sure to develop well with the Manchester giants if all parties can agree on a move, with the 17-year-old potentially the next big thing to come through the academy.
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