Manchester City have reportedly submitted an offer of around €700,000 for highly-rated Le Havre midfield prospect, Ilyes Benlebsir.
According to journalist Loic Tanzi of RMC Sport, Manchester City are lining up a summer swoop for French midfield prodigy Ilyes Benlebsir. The Premier League champions have tabled an offer worth €700,000 plus a percentage of future sales to lure the teenager from French club Le Havre.
Benlebsir is a product of the Le Havre youth setup that has produced some fine footballers over the years, such as Paul Pogba, Dimitri Payet and Manchester City’s own, Riyad Mahrez, among others.
The 17-year-old is a midfielder by trade and is catching the eye of scouts with his performances for the Under-19 setup. However, Benlebsir is yet to make his first-team debut for Le Havre. The youngster has also impressed for the French national team at various age-group levels.
And, it seems like Benlebsir has managed to catch the eye of one of the biggest clubs in Europe in the form of Manchester City. The Premier League champions have a world-class youth facility which has churned out some exciting talents like Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, James McAtee, Liam Delap and Tommy Doyle.
The Cityzens are not slowing down on their youth recruitment, having secured the signing of Brazilian prospect Kayky not long ago. They are also closing in on the capture of another South American wonderkid in Savio.
Manchester City have also recently been linked with a move for Derby County’s exciting teenage goalkeeper Jack Thompson, who is regarded as the best player in his position in the country for his age group.
The Cityzens have cast their admiring glances towards Ilyes Benlebsir of Le Havre. Manchester City have offered to buy off the last year of his contract for a fee of €700,000. They have included a future sell-on clause through which the French club would be guaranteed a certain percentage of any transfer fee the Premier League giants receive for the youngster in the future.
A chance to move to a giant like Manchester City and potentially play under Pep Guardiola is sure to appeal to the young Benlebsir. It remains to be seen if the move materialises before next season.
