New York City FC homegrown talent Christian McFarlane is officially Manchester-bound.
The club officially announced that the 18-year-old defender was joining Manchester City, becoming the first player in NYCFC history to go through the club’s entire development pipeline to reach the Premier League side.
New York City FC and Manchester City are owned by the same parent company, City Football Group.
McFarlane joined NYCFC’s academy program in 2018 as an 11-year-old and has been a rising prospect in soccer circles.
“I’m incredibly honored to represent New York City FC on a global stage,” McFarlane said in a statement. “This club has provided me with amazing opportunities and invaluable lessons that I will carry throughout my career, including my time at Manchester City and beyond. It’s been a privilege to grow here and be part of such a special organization. I’m also excited about the next chapter with Manchester City.”
A transfer was not made public, but the New York City FC said in a press release that it would receive a sell-on fee if Man City sold McFarlane to another club down the line.
The Washington Post’s Steven Goff described the transfer as a “multimillion-dollar move.”
McFarlane, who had been born in England and moved to the United States when he was 3, becomes just the fourth NYCFC homegrown product to play in a European top division, with McFarlane joining the likes of defender Joe Scally, midfielder James Sands, and forward Andres Jasson.
He has played on the international stage for both the United States and England and signed his first-team contract with NYCFC in 2021 at the age of 14.
McFarlane made 13 appearances for New York City FC this season.
He was listed 20th on MLS’s “22 Under 22” list and was included on the 2024 list of 60 best young footballers that had been put together by the Guardian.
“The amount of work that goes into producing a player that can perform at our first team level, let alone do so at the age of 17, is enormous and a huge credit goes to all the staff in the academy for all the work they have done to help Christian,” sporting director David Lee said in a statement.
“This moment reflects the amount of exceptional talent we have in New York and underscores our responsibility to continue to identify talent and provide the best pathways possible to as many of those young players so they can achieve their maximum potential within our developmental pipeline.”
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