Luca Netz is forging quite the reputation at Borussia Monchengladbach, to the point that leading sides from across Europe are shooting admiring glances in his direction, but the 18-year-old has turned down Manchester City once before and says he would do so again if the Premier League champions came calling.
The highly-rated left-back has taken in just 16 competitive appearances as a senior star, with those outings spread across spells with Hertha Berlin and Gladbach – with a £3.6 million ($5m) transfer made over the summer.
He could have been on the move before then, having been approached by City in 2018, but a youngster being tipped to break into Hansi Flick’s Germany squad believes snubbing the Blues was the right call as his development needs to be served by regular game time in his homeland.
What has been said?
Netz has told Bild of passing up the chance to work with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium: “I think it’s nonsense to switch to Man City at such a young age.
“Even if I were to get another offer now, I would turn it down.
“I have a clear plan, and it’s simply too early for the Premier League.
“It’s important for me to play for Borussia, to gain experience and to develop steadily.
“Then we will see what happens in a few years.”
Will Netz’s stock continue to rise?
Netz has seen his last two seasons brought to a premature close by untimely injuries, but he is back to full match sharpness and catching the eye for Gladbach this season.
City are not the only side to have been closely monitoring his progress, with it no surprise to find that Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are also keen on another home-grown star in German football.
Interest is expected to build from this point, with Netz continuing to unlock further potential, but he has shown that he will not be rushing his development and is prepared to be patient when it comes to taking another step up the footballing ladder.
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