Nottingham Forest have reportedly struck a 'total agreement' to sign Manchester City midfielder James McAtee.
The 22-year-old has been tipped to leave the Citizens throughout this summer after he was a peripheral figure in Pep Guardiola’s squad last season, starting just three of his 15 Premier League outings.
McAtee was not selected in Man City’s FIFA Club World Cup squad earlier this summer, as he captained England to glory at the Under-21 European Championship in Slovakia.
The versatile playmaker produced a man-of-the-match performance as the Young Lions beat Germany 3-2 after extra time in a thrilling final, with several clubs in England and abroad taking note.
McAtee, who has entered the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium, recently travelled to Germany to hold talks with Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt, while Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and Stuttgart have also been credited with an interest.
Manchester City's James McAtee on April 22, 2025
McAtee set for Forest medical ahead of £30m transfer
A host of Premier League clubs have also been keeping tabs on McAtee, but Nottingham Forest have shown the most interest and have now come to agreement with Man City over a permanent deal.
According to The Athletic, Man City will receive a package totalling to £30m from Forest, while**journalist Fabrizio Romano** claims that an initial fee of £22m will be paid by the Tricky Trees that will rise to £30m with add-ons.
Man City are also said to have included a sell-on clause and a buy-back clause in the deal to sell McAtee, who has a medical booked ahead of finalising his move to the City Ground.
McAtee has made a total of 34 first-team appearances for Man City since stepping up from the club’s academy and making his debut in 2021, scoring seven goals including his first senior hat-trick in a thumping 8-0 FA Cup win over Salford City last season.
The Salford-born playmaker is now keen to gain regular first-team football under Nuno Espirito Santo at Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League last season and could be installed into the 2025-26 Europa League following Crystal Palace’s demotion to the Conference League.
Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo pictured on July 19, 2025
Forest set for busy end to summer transfer window
Forest have made four signings so far this summer - Dan Ndoye, Igor Jesus, Jair Cunha and Angus Gunn - and that figure could almost double before the transfer window closes on September 1.
McAtee is not the only player closing in on a move to the City Ground, as The Athletic claims that Forest are ‘in the process’ of agreeing a £37.5m fee with Ipswich Town for winger Omari Hutchinson.
Forest’s opening bid worth £35m was recently rejected, but dialogue has remained open and the 21-year-old has "made his desire to continue to play in the Premier League if the opportunity is there," Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk.
Meanwhile, the Tricky Trees are understood to have tabled a formal offer worth in the region of €30m (£25.8m) sign Rennes forward Arnaud Kalimuendo.
The 23-year-old Frenchman has been tipped to move to a bigger club for some time, having recorded 34 goals and 13 assists across the last three Ligue 1 seasons, including 17 strikes in the 2024-25 campaign.
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