According to emerging reports, Chelsea have talked about the possibility of signing Nottingham Forest midfielder James McAtee again. The West London club were very interested in the 23-year-old when he was at Manchester City, just before he moved to the City Ground for £30 million in August.
McAtee has only played 246 minutes in all competitions this season, which makes Chelsea’s renewed interest seem strange. Morgan Gibbs-White has taken over the midfielder’s best position, and he has only started five games and come on as a substitute four times under three different head coaches at Forest.
Joe Shields, who used to work with the England Under-21 international at Manchester City, is said to be the reason Chelsea still likes McAtee. In August 2025, McAtee signed a five-year deal with Forest after playing 34 times for the Premier League champions. However, he hasn’t been able to get the regular first-team football he wanted.
Chelsea might have a chance to sign the midfielder because he doesn’t get many chances at the City Ground. Meanwhile, Forest don’t want McAtee to leave during the winter transfer window, not even on loan, because they are competing in the Europa League.
In June 2025, McAtee led England’s Under-21 team to victory in the European Championship. He was named to UEFA’s team of the tournament. His performances for his country are very different from the few minutes he has played for his club. He has had a hard time making a name for himself on a Forest team that has undergone many managerial changes.
Chelsea’s scouts clearly think McAtee’s problems are due to circumstances, not because he isn’t good enough. The Blues still have to convince Forest to let them have their summer signing, especially since the East Midlands club has made it clear that they want to keep the midfielder until at least the end of the season.
Acheampong is drawing in big European teams even though Chelsea is firm
Manchester City and Bayern Munich are both interested in Chelsea defender Josh Acheampong. The 19-year-old academy graduate has done well in the few chances he’s had this season, but any teams that want to sign him will have a hard time because Chelsea won’t budge.
Chelsea do not want or plan to let Acheampong leave, and he is not pushing for a move away from Stamford Bridge. The West London club thinks highly of the versatile defender and believes that he is on the right path to becoming a better player at the club where he has spent the last ten years.
Acheampong has played in 11 games this season and scored his first goal for Chelsea in a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest. But clubs keeping an eye on his situation from afar are interested because of his limited game time.
Chelsea have not heard from either Manchester City or Bayern Munich, and there is no guarantee that anything will happen during the winter transfer window. It’s thought that both European giants are keeping a close eye on Acheampong’s playing time in case an opportunity arises next year.
Chelsea’s desire to keep homegrown talent shows that they have learned from past academy departures. For a club that prides itself on developing young players, losing a prospect like Acheampong without giving him enough chances would be a big step back.