As it looks now, Jayden Braaf will leave Manchester City at the end of the season. The nineteen-year-old wing attacker is in possession of an expiring contract with the reigning champion of England. A large number of clubs are closely monitoring Braaf’s situation.
Portuguese, German and Italian clubs currently have Braaf in their sights. In the summer of 2019, Braaf signed a three-year contract with Manchester City, which linked him to the English top club until mid-2022. Bee the Citizens – who took him out of PSV’s youth academy – the attacker was regarded as the ‘new Jadon Sancho’ and it was even hinted that he could potentially become a player worth eighty million euros. A year ago, he was presented with an offer to break open his commitment again.
Braaf got off to a strong start at Manchester City and quickly moved on from the Under-18s to the Under 23s. He soon had opportunities to train with the main squad, but first-team opportunities have dwindled since last season. All in all, Braaf has therefore got the feeling that the opportunities at Manchester City are limited and partly because of this, both parties have not yet agreed on a new contract, so that a transfer-free departure is now beckoning.
That impasse already caused tensions last season, so that the youth international, despite being fully fit, barely belonged to the match selection of the Under 23. Manchester City hoped for a transfer fee of nine million euros a year ago, but eventually agreed to a rental period at Udinese. Braaf made four appearances in Italy, one of which as a basic player and in which he scored once. This made him the youngest Dutch goalscorer in Serie A, ahead of Clarence Seedorf, Matthijs de Ligt, Patrick Kluivert and Marco van Basten. While working for Udinese, Braaf sustained a knee injury, which required surgery and which kept him sidelined in the first half of the season.
Braaf has been doing well in the market for years. Manchester City trumped Ajax, Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, West Ham United, Swansea City and Aston Villa in the summer of 2019, when Braaf was still playing in the PSV youth academy. In recent years, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Borussia Mönchengladbach have shown interest. So now there is the possibility to transfer to Portugal, Germany or Italy next summer.