Pep Guardiola James McAtee Manchester City
(Credit: Imago)
Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent
Mon 14 July 2025 8:25, UK
Manchester City will sell James McAtee this summer with an eye on generating “pure profit” for their PSR, sources have told Football Insider.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed what his sources have said about City’s attempts to move McAtee on this summer.
McAtee was left out of Man City‘s Club World Cup squad after the signings of Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders, but still made a massive impact last month as he captained England to Under-21 Euros glory.
Football Insider revealed on 11 July that McAtee is one of three main candidates to leave Man City alongside Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips, and Pep Guardiola has an even greater incentive to sell him.
Sources have told Football Insider that City will push to agree a transfer for McAtee due to his status as a home-grown academy player, meaning he’ll generate a pure profit from a PSR and FFP perspective.
Fees of £25million and above for McAtee are expected to tempt Man City this summer with a plethora of clubs interested, and Football Insider sources have said that Guardiola will most likely cash in on him.
James Mcatee everton
Everton are one of several clubs linked with a move for McAtee (Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media)
MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES
McAtee transfer could be agreed soon amid Bundesliga interest
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told Football Insider that a switch to the Bundesliga could be the best move for McAtee’s career, following the pathways set by Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham.
Speaking on the new Inside Track, O’Rourke said that a move to any interested club looks increasingly likely for McAtee at this stage, particularly after Man City’s significant spending in recent months.
“The key here for [McAtee] is that Man City probably will cash in on him because it’s a pure profit on their FFP and PSR”, he told Football Insider.
“It could be a good deal for City to let him go, having spent quite heavily in the last couple of transfer windows.”
Rayan Cherki man city
Rayan Cherki’s arrival will leave McAtee struggling for game-time (Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media)
Man City to rush through exits after £300m transfer outlay
Man City spent close to £115m on four players prior to their Club World Cup campaign, with the additions of midfielders Cherki and Reijnders knocking the likes of McAtee even further down the pecking order.
That outlay on Reijnders, Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Marcus Bettinelli followed up a January window in which City shelled out over £175m on five new players, including Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez.
Gonzalez’s lack of immediate impact has already raised questions over a possible summer sale, and with even City needing to meet PSR demands, expect exits aplenty before the next significant outlay of funds.
Related Posts