Leeds United are known to have a long-standing interest in the attacking midfielder.
Reported Leeds United target James McAtee’s summer exit from Manchester City appears all but confirmed amid reports he will play no part in the Club World Cup later this month.
The need for midfield creativity has only strengthened ahead of Leeds’ Premier League return and so interest is likely to remain, and Manchester City’s latest decision appears to have opened the door for a summer sale. The Manchester Evening News report McAtee will not head to the United States with his teammates for the expanded Club World Cup, which kicks off on June 14 and lasts around one month.
Instead, McAtee will join up with his international teammates for this summer’s Under-21 European Championship, having been called up to the pre-training camp by England U21s boss Lee Carsley. The MEN report adds that City’s decision to allow that ‘effectively welcomes offers for him’, while the Daily Mail’s Jack Gaughan posted on X it ‘probably signals the end of his time at Man City.’
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The report does not name Leeds, instead claiming Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur are ‘among several Premier League clubs’ eyeing a move for the £25m-rated City academy graduate. McAtee’s preference could be a move to the Bundesliga, with Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Stuttgart all keen.
An obvious issue for Leeds is that of the aforementioned teams, all except Stuttgart can offer European football in some capacity next season, while Daniel Farke’s side are certainly the most likely to endure a difficult domestic campaign. Regular football would come at Elland Road but is also not likely to be a problem at any of the Bundesliga options, particularly Leverkusen who look set to lose playmaker Florian Wirtz.
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'Award winning South Indian Restaurants proud to carry Leeds United in our hearts'. | 'Award winning South Indian Restaurants proud to carry Leeds United in our hearts'.
Who else is on Leeds United’s No.10 transfer shortlist?
While McAtee will likely be on the radar of Elland Road chiefs, a move has rarely looked likely given how much interest there is from clubs competing in Europe. Despite starting just nine matches, the attacking midfielder scored seven goals across all competitions with only four teammates bagging more, and that form could see him out of reach for Farke.
A top-level No.10 is expected to come in this summer and reports earlier this week reignited links to Gustavo Hamer, who was the subject of a £13million bid from West Yorkshire last summer. TalkSPORT claimed Bramall Lane chiefs were widely resigned to losing their talisman following last month’s Championship play-off final defeat to Sunderland, with Everton also thought to be interested.
Leeds have also been heavily linked with a move for Emiliano Buendia across previous transfer windows and some speculation resurfaced, given his loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen did not go to plan. The Argentinian isn’t likely to have a first-team role at parent club Aston Villa and enjoyed some of his best ever football under Farke at Norwich City.
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