Manchester City are set to lose yet another talented academy product

Manchester City (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Manchester City (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

In what is becoming a regular phenomenon every summer transfer window, Manchester City academy products are leaving to sign pro deals elsewhere. Already this summer alone, the club has seen James Trafford, Shea Charles and Morgan Rogers leave on permanent deals. As The Top Flight has reported, Carlos Borges is also expected to leave City’s academy and join West Ham United on a permanent transfer.

Another name is expected to join this list of departures. Fabrizio Romano is reporting that winger Adedire will sign for Belgian club Westerlo on a permanent deal. Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar was also in the race but lost out on signing Mebude. There’s an expectation that the transfer will include a buyback clause, a common clause for recent academy players leaving the EDS.

While Mebude didn’t earn the exact same level of hype as Carlos Borges, he is also seen as a top academy player for Manchester City. Born in London, Mebude moved to Scotland at a young age and progressed through Rangers’ academy. In 2020, he joined Manchester City’s youth setup and quickly set the English youth scene alight. During the 21/22 U18 Premier League season, Mebude recorded an astonishing 12 goals and 19 assists in 21 matches. He scored the winner against Southampton in the 2022 edition of the U18 Premier League final.

Mebude took the step up to the Premier League 2 last season, playing for City’s U21s. He contributed to nearly a goal per game, with 11 goals and 13 assists in 26 PL2 matches. Mebude was often the one who assisted the goals of Carlos Borges in the City attack. Regarded as a speedy winger, Mebude is a threat out wide to any defence.

Manchester Evening News is reporting that Adedire Mebude’s transfer fee will be just £1.65m with add-ons. The transfer will include a sell-on percentage on top of the expected buyback clause.