English-born Ugandan attacking midfielder Divine Mukasa will not be leaving English Premier League side Manchester City for Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, despite the German club’s interest, The Nerve Africa has exclusively learned.
Bayer Leverkusen had expressed interest in signing the 17-year-old midfielder, even after he penned his first professional contract with Manchester City in August last year. The German club considered luring him with the promise of immediate inclusion in the first team.
Mukasa, a highly talented player with impressive statistics, had been viewed as a potential successor to Florian Wirtz in Xabi Alonso’s squad. However, the deal has now been called off, with Manchester City opting to keep him as part of their future plans.
A source close to the player’s mother, Laima Mukasa, confirmed the development: “Bayer Leverkusen were serious about a deal and made contact last week, but Manchester City declined their proposals. We could have considered a first-team offer at Bayer, but we respect Manchester City. He’ll stay at City, no doubt about that—we just hope he earns first-team football soon,” the source told The Nerve Africa in an exclusive interview.
At Manchester City’s academy, Mukasa has stood out for his impressive performances in the U18 Premier League, scoring ten goals and providing twelve assists in eleven matches this season.
Dutch Eredivisie giants Ajax had also shown interest in Mukasa, closely monitoring his development, but he will now remain at the Etihad Stadium.
Earlier this year, in January, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised Mukasa’s progress in the reserves, emphasizing that he was under consideration for a potential first-ever senior team call-up before the end of the current campaign.
