Fans have every reason to be excited about the potential new addition to Manchester City after Rosenborg signed 18-year-old midfielder Sverre Nypan on a five-year deal.
Teenager Nypan has represented his country in under-21s at all youth levels, and he is expected to sign for a season-long loan during the campaign in 2025-26.
He will practice with Pep Guardiola’s first team if a loan is not secured before the players return for pre-season on July 28.
Any young footballer who wants to join this club and join such a group of elite players is a dream, Nypan said.
“I have a lot to learn, but the chance to work with Pep Guardiola, the best manager in the world, will only help me improve,” said the player.
City’s future direction is evident in the purchase of Nypan, a highly regarded brand.
Norwegian journalist Andreas Korssund reported that Sverre Nypan, who is still very young, has been regarded as one of Norway’s top talents.
It’s not surprising that he’s secured such a significant move because he’s been touted as the next big thing to enter the Norwegian league. Perhaps the surprise is that he is emigrating to City so quickly.
comparisons to Odegaard at Arsenal
Nypan, who made his first-team debut at Rosenborg at age 15 in the Norwegian league, has seen a rapid rise in popularity among Norwegian fans.
Over the past two seasons, he has won the top-tier Eliteseries Young Player of the Year award in both 2023 and 2024. He has made a big impression in Norway.
He is quick, quick, a good dribbler, and capable of taking on and defeating defenders because he has primarily been used as a central midfielder but can also play an attacking midfield, winger, or in a center-forward role.
He has 14 goals and 11 assists in 70 appearances for Rosenborg.
There have been unavoidable comparisons between him and Arsenal and Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard, who also made his debut in the Norwegian top flight at the age of 15 with the same position and being from the same country.
Both have good passing skills and are technically competent, Korssund said. Nypan plays the game from midfield, while Odegaard might be more of a dribbler.
“There is a long way off for him.”
Nypan scored eight goals in 28 of his 30 league games last year, making him the club’s joint second-highest scorer overall. His first senior hat-trick came last August when Rosenborg defeated Lillestrom 4-0 at home.
Rosenborg, who had missed out on European football last year by placing eighth in 2023, did so with a fourth place finish and a place in Conference League qualifying.
Six weeks before his 16th birthday, Nypan made his debut in one of his two appearances that year, winning 4-2 at home against Jerv on November 6, 2022.
His breakthrough campaign came the following year.
He started in three games of Conference League qualifying and made 17 league starts in 2023, plus six substitute appearances.
He impressed during both legs of Hearts’ third qualifying round tie with Crusaders, winning 3-2 over Northern Irish side Crusaders.
In Rosenborg’s 2-1 first-leg victory, Nypan, who was then only 16, scored the winner, but the Norwegians lost 3-1 at Tynecastle as the Scottish side came back from 4-3 on aggregate on a last-minute winner from Cameron Devlin.
After that first game, Hearts head coach Frankie McAvoy said: “We knew he was a special player and he showed that.
You have a great chance of succeeding when you can create scoring chances like he does in the final third, which he also appears to have a good head on his shoulders.
Man City wins the competition for gefragt teenagers.
Not long after his arrival, Nypan started to attract the attention of Europe’s premier clubs.
Nypan was reportedly spotted by Manchester United scouts in August 2023, but Rosenborg boss Alfred Johansson praised the youngster’s attitude, saying: “He focuses on enjoying football and training every day.
Not everyone would have been able to accomplish it, but it is very impressive and should be. That indicates Sverre’s strength.
Before Guardiola’s City’s bid was accepted, Arsenal first showed an interest in the teenager in January 2025, and then again this summer, with Aston Villa having another significant relationship with him.
Rosenborg’s record sale surpasses the £8.5 million they received when John Carew moved to Valencia in 2001.
Nypan joins Norwegian internationals Oscar Bobb, 21, and Erling Haaland, 24, who is the team’s star striker, at Etihad Stadium.
Although Korssund anticipated that Nypan would need to settle into City, he hoped he would rise to the top.
According to Korssund, “He’ll need time to adjust because this is a big step for him to enter the Premier League.” However, I have no doubt that City have selected one of the world’s top upcoming midfielders.
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