Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland and James McAtee of Manchester City look on from the bench during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between Real Madrid C.F. and Manchester City at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on February 19, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)placeholder image
Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland and James McAtee of Manchester City look on from the bench during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between Real Madrid C.F. and Manchester City at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on February 19, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Nottingham Forest are reportedly set to lodge a bid for Man City attacking midfielder James McAtee.
Everton’s Premier League rivals are set to make a bid for one of their summer transfer targets, reports suggest.
The Toffees are reportedly among the clubs who are keen to sign James McAtee of Manchester City. McAtee is a peripheral player at the Etihad Stadium and started just three Premier League games last season. That’s despite City’s struggles for large pars of the 2024-25 season, while he was omitted from their squad for the FA Cup final loss at the hands of Crystal Palace.
McAtee displayed his quality at the Under-21 European Championships as he captained England to back-to-back titles. However, he is in the final year of his City contract and Pep Guardiola’s side may look to cash in rather than losing him for a nominal training compensation fee next summer.
McAtee has had an array of teams linked with him. Everton are looking to bolster their attacking options in the transfer window and McAtee is on their radar. He would be an appealing option as he’s capable of operating in the No.10 role as well as out wide.
However, Nottingham Forest are reportedly poised to make the first move for the 22-year-old. Forest are poised to lose their talisman Morgan Gibbs-White, with Tottenham Hotspur closing in on a £60 million switch to Tottenham Hotspur after his release clause was triggered. McAtee has been identified as Gibbs-White’s replacement.
While Forest have yet to lodge a bid, The Telegraph reports that they are ‘expected to make a formal offer’. West Ham United are also said to be keen after they finalised the sale of Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham for £55 million. The likes of Borussia Dortmund, Stuttgart, Atalanta and AS Roma have also been linked.
It’s reported that McAtee wants to join a club who can offer him regular football. Forest are hoping to sign the former Sheffield United loanee for £25 million. Although City value him closer to £42.5 million, the figure they sold Cole Palmer to Chelsea, McAtee’s contractual situation means they may have to accept a lesser fee.
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