Manchester City interested in highly-rated Gent defender – Barcelona have already ‘made offer’

Premier League champions Manchester City face a battle with the likes of FC Barcelona in the race to sign one of the most exciting emerging names from Belgium.

That chase concerns Belgium under-17 starlet Jorthy Mokio, who originally joined his current club KAA Gent and their youth academy from KFC Merelbeke in 2021, making his UEFA Youth League debut in a match against Basel two years later.

That rise and subsequent achievement in the competition – seen by many to be the most prestigious in European youth football – saw Mokio become the youngest Gent player ever to participate in the tournament.

Mokio is now widely considered as one of the most talented defenders of his generation, and as a testament to that belief, made his debut for the senior squad of Gent last month in the Belgian Pro League, as part of a 5–1 win against Standard Liège.

But as is the case with many of the game’s most exciting prospects, Gent will face a significant battle to retain the player’s services for the foreseeable future, with a line of high-profile clubs already battling for his signature.

According to the information of journalists Alex Pintanel and Matteo Moretto, as translated and relayed by Reshad Rahman, both Manchester City and AS Roma are interested in the talents of 16-year-old Gent defender Jorthy Mokio – who is yet to make a final decision.

However, despite the interest from both the Premier League and Serie A giants, it is La Liga’s FC Barcelona who have seemingly made the first move, lodging an offer for the highly-rated teenager.

Manchester City are usually front and centre when it comes to the chase for the globe’s most exciting prospects, having most-recently secured the signatures of names from within the City Football Group and over in North America.

Savio becomes the latest South American to be viewed highly by Manchester City’s staff, and joins the club from ESTAC Troyes after a sensational season on loan in La Liga with fellow City Group side Girona.

Elsewhere and Manchester City are also expected to pay the Philadelphia Union around $2 million up front for 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan, in a deal that could rise to $5 million with add-ons, with the Union keeping a ‘sizeable’ sell-on clause.