Man City Director of Football Hugo Viana is “negotiating” with Troyes to secure the services of striker Mathys Detourbet, according to L’Equipe journalist Loic Tanzi.

Writing on his X account, Tanzi said that the Cityzens have “taken the lead” in the battle to snap up the 18-year-old.

Considering that Troyes are a City Football Group club, it is not a surprise that the Manchester side have emerged as the favouites to buy Detourbet.

It is not quite negotiating with yourself, as Troyes do have their own structure and club officials, but City do tend to get favoured treatment nonetheless.

What do fans need to know about Detourbet?

The teenager has come up through the ranks of Troyes, having made his senior debut for their B team in Championnat National at the start of the 2024/25 season. He has scored an impressive 7 goals in 12 appearances in France’s fifth tier.

In terms of first team appearances, Detourbet got his first minutes in a French Cup match against Rennes last January, coming on as a substitute in the last few minutes of a 1-0 win.

The forward has subsequently gone on to play 34 games, getting his first goal against Union Foot de Touraine in the fourth round of this season’s French Cup back in November.

Although Detourbet is ostensibly a striker, most of his minutes for Troyes so far have been on the left wing.

Man City may keep him at Troyes even if a deal is agreed.

Detourbet is not ready to play in the Premier League, so if the Cityzens do sign him, their options would be to either add him to the Under 21 squad or loan him out.

The 18-year-old’s development would benefit more if he were playing regularly at senior level, and considering that he has made his first-team breakthrough at Troyes, there would be a case for keeping him in France until he reaches the required standard.

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