Manchester City lost the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace last season.
A goal from Eberechi Eze – who Manchester City admire – not only secured a first major trophy, but also a place in Europe for the south Londoners, who will at least partake in the UEFA Conference League if barred from the UEFA Europa League.
As such, squad depth is needed, and Crystal Palace are now considering a move to sign James McAtee.
Crystal Palace monitoring James McAtee
Sky Sports now state that the Eagles have joined the race for the Manchester City No.87 – who Nottingham Forest are also keen to sign this summer.
McAtee – also a target for Everton – is open to leaving the Etihad Stadium after making just three Premier League starts last season, while also being left out of the FA Cup final entirely by Pep Guardiola.
He did, however, score in one of these three starts against Crystal Palace, as Manchester City recorded a 5-2 win over the Eagles in April.
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Sky Sports add that Manchester City could even point to the £40m fee Chelsea paid for Cole Palmer as an asking price for the City Football Academy graduate, due to the fact McAtee has made more senior appearances for the Citizens than the England international did before moving to west London.
Bayer Leverkusen are also keen to sign the 22-year-old.
Hugo Viana could be repeating Txiki Begiristain mistake at Manchester City
If Crystal Palace secure the Salford-born midfielder’s signature this summer, it could prove to be a real coup.
McAtee was named Man of the Match as England once again won the European U21 Championship this summer, pulling the strings as the Three Lions recorded a 3-2 win over Germany, and providing an assist for Omari Hutchinson.
The Manchester City outcast has a huge amount of potential, and if Hugo Viana sanctions a sale this summer, the man born in Barcelos may live to regret it, like Txiki Begiristain surely rues selling Palmer to Chelsea in September 2023.