A fresh report surrounding Leeds United-linked James McAtee suggests competition will be fierce.
Leeds United have been reminded of the level of competition they could face for James McAtee, should they reignite interest in the Manchester City youngster this summer.
While Leeds are likely to revisit their attacking midfield shortlist this summer, it appears recruitment chiefs are currently prioritising other positions and more physically dominant targets. But even if a potential move for McAtee is explored, competition will be fierce.
The 22-year-old has been subject to interest from Germany already this summer and a fresh report from The Times suggests the race for his signature is heating up. All in all, five Bundesliga outfits are said to be weighing up a bid for the City academy graduate, the most notable of which are Champions League trio Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Stuttgart and RB Leipzig are also thought to be keen on McAtee but the trio of top-level Bundesliga suitors highlights the difficulty a club like Leeds might face in convincing the England under-21 international West Yorkshire is the right place for him. Unlike their German counterparts, Elland Road chiefs cannot offer European football and as a newly-promoted team, cannot even guarantee top-flight action beyond next season.
James McAtee transfer latest with Leeds United focus further back
McAtee is widely expected to leave City this summer, having started just three Premier League games last season. He also asked to be left out of Pep Guardiola’s squad for the Club World Cup and instead captained England Under-21s to the UEFA U21 European Championship title on Saturday.
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He only started nine games across all competitions last season but was still City’s joint-fourth highest goalscorer with seven efforts, fewer only than Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Omar Marmoush. That contribution has only appeared to intensify interest in the No.10 but it has also strengthened the resolve of Etihad chiefs, who are expected to demand at least £25m for their academy graduate.
Indeed McAtee could already be out the door by the time Leeds set sights on a No.10, with focus among recruitment chiefs seemingly further back at present. Centre-back Sebastiaan Bornauw is set to undergo medical tests at Thorp Arch today ahead of a £5.1million move from VfL Wolfsburg, while £15m was sent Udinese’s way for their defender Jaka Bijol last week.
Leeds are also interested in Lille left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson, as exclusively revealed by the YEP earlier this month, and have eyes on Royale Union Saint-Gilloise midfielder Noah Sadiki. The only attacking arrival so far has been Bornauw’s former Wolfsburg teammate and free agent striker, Lukas Nmecha, although more are expected to follow before September 1.
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