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Ex-Manchester City youth Jeremie Frimpong has signed for Liverpool(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Jeremie Frimpong has become the most recent Manchester City academy graduate to join forces with a Premier League competitor.

And it seems that City have a knack for developing and shaping young talents before allowing them to further their careers elsewhere – with several academy graduates going on to play for Premier League rivals, while others have secured contracts with some of Europe's top clubs.

Here, the Liverpool Echo looks at 11 stars who could have been valuable assets to City, but instead, ended up signing for other clubs – along with their current market value, as per Transfermarkt.

Despite spending six years of his youth at City, Trafford never had the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities under Pep Guardiola - instead, he had loan stints with Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers, before being sold to Burnley in 2023 for £15m.

According to Transfermarkt, his current market value is £12.6m, and he is contracted with I Giallorossi until 2028.

Defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia spent only a year with City during his youth after spending most of his early years with Anderlecht, but failed to leave a mark with the Premier League giants.

Lavia didn't manage any Premier League appearances for the Cityzens, and instead, was relegated to playing for the U21 side between 2021 and 2022, before moving to Southampton in a £10.5m deal.

Romeo Lavia spent a year in the City youth academy(Image: Offside via Getty Images)

After making 34 starts for the Saints in the 2022/23 Premier League season, Lavia managed to avoid the relegation that his club faced, as Chelsea secured the 21-year-old in a £53m deal.

The future certainly looks promising for the versatile star, who can also comfortably play on the wing.

Michael Olise gained invaluable experience at several of England's top academies during his youth, moving between Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Reading before making his breakthrough with the latter in 2019.

After turning professional in 2019, Olise was immediately deployed by the Royals, scoring seven goals and providing 14 assists over two seasons before transferring to Crystal Palace for £8m.

Michael Olise has been an asset to club and country(Image: Getty Images)

The 23-year-old held his own in the Premier League, enjoying three successful years at Selhurst Park before Bayern Munich came calling in 2024 with a £50.7m offer.

With 50 Bundesliga appearances to his name, Olise played a crucial role in Bayern's league title win this season, while also earning six caps for the French national team.

His current market value is estimated at around £67m, but with a contract running until 2029, Munich may not be keen to let go of the winger just yet.

Jadon Sancho joined Manchester City's youth ranks in 2015 after spending most of his early years with Watford.

He also had a half-year loan spell with Chelsea during the latter part of the 2024/25 season, where he struggled to find form, scoring just five goals.

Although Chelsea had a £20m obligation to buy clause in the winger's contract as part of his loan deal, they might opt to activate a £5m clause that would see him return to United instead.

With his current market value estimated at around £23m and his contract set to expire next summer, football fans may see Sancho move to a new club in this transfer window.

Ellis Simms has thrived in the Championship(Image: Getty Images)

Striker Ellis Simms spent a short time in his youth at Manchester City before moving to Everton's academy, from which he graduated in 2020.
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