Manchester City eye transfer swoop for Crystal Palace winger with competition from Bayern Munich | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City are reportedly aiming to take advantage of an emerging contractual situation at Crystal Palace with strong competition across Europe.

The upcoming summer transfer window is set to be one that puts significant focus on the refreshing of Manchester City’s first-team squad as Hugo Viana steps into the role of sporting director succeed Txiki Begiristain after 12 seasons at the club.

A number of positions are expected to be addressed ranging from the goalkeeper ranks amid doubts over the futures of both Ederson and Stefan Ortega Moreno, as well as the possibility of more than one new central midfielder coming in to the roster.

But while the immediate future of the first-team squad is undoubtedly the focus, other officials within the City Football Academy are paying attention to the future of the club beyond the next five seasons as the next round of young talents are being targeted.

That search has now taken the four-in-a-row Premier League champions to South London and an emerging contractual situation that has also caught the eye of clubs across the United Kingdom, and into Europe.

According to the information of TBR Football’s Graeme Bailey, the likes of Manchester City and Aston Villa are in talks with Crystal Palace’s highly-rated winger talent, Jesse Derry after he decided not to sign a new contract at Selhurst Park.

It is further reported that Everton have also spoken to the teenager’s representatives, while officials at Crystal Palace are continuing in their aim of convincing the 17-year-old to put pen to paper on new terms as they see him as a future first-team player for the club.

Competition for his signature is rife across Europe too, with the same report naming all of Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt, PSG, AS Monaco, FC Porto, Atletico Madrid and Juventus having all made contact, alongside Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers.

Following an injury, Derry opened up his 2024/25 season in style by netting 10 times in 10 games for Crystal Palace’s Under-18s, leading to a first appearance with the club’s Under-21s in the Premier League International Cup against Sporting CP.

The new calendar year has followed in that trend too, as the teenager registered his first goal for the club’s Under-21s in January against RB Leipzig, before being called-up to the England Under-18s set-up for friendlies against France, Portugal and Czechia, scoring once.

Manchester City’s recent success in developing young talents on to fine career paths with Pep Guardiola’s first-team or elsewhere in England and into Europe will no doubt be a huge motivation for the likes of Jesse Derry opting for a City Football Academy move.