Manchester City will sell James McAtee this summer if he asks to leave “like Cole Palmer” according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
Writing in his column for TEAMtalk, Jacobs claims that manager Pep Guardiola is keen on keeping the midfielder at the Etihad beyond the end of the season.
However, there are concerns that McAtee is growing frustrated about his limited game time, having started just six matches (all in domestic cup competitions).
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If push comes to shove and the 22-year-old requests a move, it is believed that Guardiola would not stand in his way – which is the same stance he had when Palmer left for Chelsea in 2023.
Who is interested in signing McAtee?
It has been reported that Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen have tried to sign the England Under 21 international in past transfer windows and they may make another attempt this summer.
Some have suggested that McAtee could be offered as part of a swap deal involving Florian Wirtz but Jacobs claims that Bayern Munich are the “favourites” to sign the German at the moment.
That means McAtee’s exit will depend on a team matching City’s asking price. The club are said to have rejected offers of around £30m for the player last year so a fee above that figure would have to be tabled for sale to be considered.
Guardiola has praised the City midfielder
Speaking after McAtee scored three goals in the 8-0 win over Salford City in the FA Cup back in January, the City manager was full of compliments:
“I am so happy for him, he is a special player. A hat trick is not easy. He has an incredible sense in front of goal, he has the right tempo, he changed the rhythm to score and I am very happy for him.”
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