Championship clubs queue up for City striker
Divin Mubama is attracting serious Championship interest ahead of the new season, with Middlesbrough, Derby County and Preston North End all keen on taking the Manchester City striker on loan.
The 21-year-old joined City from West Ham for £2m back in 2024, signed as a long-term project rather than someone expected to hit the ground running at the Etihad. Last season he was sent to Stoke City for senior experience and made an encouraging start — five goals before a serious ankle ligament injury in January brought things to a grinding halt.
The injury, suffered in a challenge with QPR's Jimmy Dunne, was bad enough that Mubama initially feared he'd broken his leg. It cut short what had been shaping up as a genuinely productive loan spell.
He's recovered well and is understood to be fully fit ahead of the new campaign. That has quickly reignited interest from Championship clubs who saw what he could do before the setback.
According to the Daily Mail, Mubama has already held preliminary talks with Derby County over a potential loan move, though neither the player nor City have made a final decision yet. Middlesbrough and Preston have made formal approaches too, and the report suggests more clubs could enter the picture as word spreads about his availability and recovery.
Three established Championship clubs showing their hand this early in the window says plenty about the impression Mubama made before his injury. Five goals from limited appearances was enough to convince several sides he's a high-value loan option who could make a real difference in a promotion push.
City director of football Hugo Viana and new manager Enzo Maresca are currently reviewing the futures of a number of younger squad members as part of a wider look at the club's development pathways. Mubama's situation is one of several loan decisions to be sorted before the window closes.
A second Championship loan would be the logical next step in a development plan that was disrupted but not derailed by January's injury. A full, uninterrupted season at that level could accelerate his progression toward genuine first-team consideration under Maresca.
Derby's position as the club he's already spoken to puts them in pole position at this stage, but Middlesbrough and Preston don't appear willing to cede ground without making their own case. City's track record with young forwards on loan suggests they'll prioritise the right fit over a quick resolution — quality of project and guaranteed game time likely to weigh as heavily as league position in any final decision.
Whether the next update confirms a Derby deal or sees the picture shift as more clubs enter the race remains to be seen. But the breadth of interest in a player who spent much of the last six months on the sidelines speaks clearly to the potential City's recruitment team identified when sanctioning his signing from West Ham two summers ago.