Belgian move confirmed for teenage midfielder
Sverre Nypan has joined Lommel SK on a season-long loan, with the Manchester City midfielder set to spend the 2026-27 campaign in the Belgian Pro League.
The 19-year-old Norway international arrived at the Etihad from Rosenborg in the summer of 2025 for around £12.5 million, arriving with a reputation as one of the most promising young midfielders to come out of Scandinavia in recent years. City viewed him from the start as a long-term project rather than an immediate first-team option.
His first season in England was a mixed bag. A loan move to Middlesbrough in the Championship was terminated by mutual agreement in February 2026 after limited game time, though the experience was not without value. Nypan has spoken positively about the personal growth it brought, particularly in handling the pressures of English football.
After returning to City's training base, he played a prominent role for the Elite Development Squad while training regularly with the senior players — sessions he has credited with sharpening both his mentality and his technical ability.
The timing of this loan is significant. Lommel earned promotion to the Belgian top flight in May, meaning Nypan will play senior top-division football for the first time rather than dropping into a lower tier. Belgian football's compact, technically demanding style presents a different kind of challenge to the physical, high-intensity environment he encountered at Middlesbrough.
His agent Rafaela Pimenta, who also represents fellow Norwegian Erling Haaland, has been involved in managing his pathway since the move to City. Keeping Nypan within the City Football Group network rather than seeking a loan elsewhere allows the club's football operations team to monitor his progress closely throughout the campaign.
Nypan made his senior international debut for Norway in October 2025, appearing as a substitute in a friendly against New Zealand. A full season of top-flight football at Lommel should strengthen his case for a more regular role with the national side as Norway continue their World Cup campaign in North America.
City's willingness to pay £12.5 million for a teenage midfielder from the Norwegian top flight was a clear statement of the regard in which they hold him. Whether a successful season at Lommel leads to a higher-profile loan next summer or a genuine push for involvement in Enzo Maresca's senior plans remains to be seen — but Nypan's trajectory at the club is one of the more interesting long-term stories to follow as the post-Guardiola era takes shape.