Club launch ‘extensive scouting process’ over 29-goal Manchester City sensation

Championship side Southampton have launched an ‘extensive scouting process’ over Manchester City’s Portuguese attacking talent Carlos Borges, according to reports.

The teenager has just completed perhaps his finest season in his rising professional career, after scoring a staggering 29 goals and providing a further 18 assists in just 33 appearances across all competitions for Manchester City’s youth ranks.

However, with the pathway through to Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad proving to be congested at present, a number of clubs have been alerted to a possible scenario this summer that sees the teenager leave the Etihad Stadium.

Should the right proposal arrive, Manchester City are unlikely to be opposed to a temporary deal that sees him gain valuable experience at the senior level of the sport, while a permanent deal may also be considered at the right price.

One club to have shown an interest in the player, and perhaps unsurprisingly so given the strong links between themselves and Manchester City, is the recently-relegated Southampton – who will be playing Championship football from the start of the 2023/24 season.

According to a report from Jacob Tanswell of The Athletic, ‘an extensive scouting process’ has taken place for Carlos Borges, with club officials having closely monitored the 19-year-old over the course of the last few months.

It is further explained that with Manchester City academy presence now at Southampton, namely in the form of Jason Wilcox, a swoop for Borges was a move that appealed to the south coast outfit.

Borges was recently crowned as the Premier League 2 Player of the Season as a result of his efforts in the recent season – a campaign that saw him notch 21 goals in 24 appearances, accompanied by a further 11 assists.

Speaking in March on the subject of a possible first-team call-up at Manchester City, the teenager explained, “(It) would mean a lot, I’ve been working for this basically my whole life. It’s not easy at this club but I’ve got to keep working and putting in the work. If we get the opportunity we have to take it.”

West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion, as well as Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund have all been linked with Borges over the last few months, as interest is expected to only intensify as the summer transfer window kicks into action later this month.