Man City losing next Cole Palmer: Goal-crazy wonderkid threatens to follow Sancho example

Robin Bairner

Updated: 9 Apr 2025 10:51 BST
2 min read

Divine Mukasa, Pep Guardiola, Man City, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Manchester City face a desperate battle to retain teenage star Divine Mukasa, a 17-year-old who appears to have the potential to become the next Cole Palmer.

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Mukasa has 31 goal contributions for City’s academy team across just 19 U18 Premier League fixtures this season, making him one of the top prospects at the Etihad club.

STATS

Divine Mukasa

M, AM (C)

Man City U18

Divine Mukasa

M, AM (C)

Man City U18

18

Games
17

Goals
13

Assists

But Fabrizio Romano has warned that Pep Guardiola’s side are in grave danger of losing the youngster as Bayern Munich and Ajax circle for the wonderkid.

Romano reports: “Bayern and Ajax have sent scouts again this month to follow Manchester City 17-year-old talent Divine Mukasa.

“Man City are planning to extend his contract to keep Mukasa at the club.”

Mukasa signed a new contract with the Etihad outfit last summer but no details have been made public over when the deal expires due to the player’s age.

Although FIFA rules mean that the young player cannot currently move abroad, he will turn 18 on 22 August, meaning that a deal could be brokered for him to complete a transfer before the end of the summer window.

Man City determined to retain Mukasa

City’s desire to retain Mukasa is clear given what he has done for their youth team in recent times, but also because they have seen some top talent slip through their fingers.

Jadon Sancho left as an 18-year-old to join Borussia Dortmund under the freedom of contract rules before exploding in the Bundesliga. This is a path the Cityzen's latest talent could follow.

Palmer, who direct comparisons with Mukasa can be made because both play as attacking midfielders, was sold to Chelsea for €47 million but he has subsequently seen his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) rise to €119m.

City have started to protect themselves in these cases, notably putting a buy-back clause worth €46.5m in Liam Delap’s Ipswich Town move last summer. While there is no indication they will use this, Guardiola’s side do also boast a healthy sell-on bonus of any profit the Tractor Boys make from selling the striker.

With that in mind, Mukasa is unlikely to be allowed to leave the Etihad easily, even if the likes of Bayern and Ajax do possess a significant draw.