James McAtee is yet to make a decision on where he will play his football next season.
The Manchester City academy graduate will leave the club this summer despite having his best season with the Premier League giants last time around, as the 22-year-old seeks more minutes in order to develop his talent.
Several clubs have been lining up for the English star, with Nottingham Forest the only club to bid for McAtee so far.
The £25m bid is what most clubs hoped to pay for the Man City star this summer, but this proposal highlighted the main issue the Manchester club will have in selling the midfielder over the coming weeks.
James McAtee’s £40m price tag is a problem
Man City are hoping to bring in £40m for McAtee this summer, as that was the fee the Citizens sold Cole Palmer to Chelsea for, but the majority of clubs interested in the 22-year-old will not be willing to match this asking price, Rob Dawson has told ESPN.
“He’s come back to City. He didn’t play for City as much as he would have hoped last season. He feels that he really needs to play regular first-team football in the Premier League,” Dawson said on ESPN FC.
“The one thing that may stand in his way is City’s valuation. That offer [from Nottingham Forest] is around £25m. I know for a fact that City’s valuation is a lot higher than that.
“They sold Cole Palmer to Chelsea a couple of years ago for a fee of around £40m. They think that James McAtee has got more experience than Cole Palmer when he left for Chelsea.
“They probably aren’t going to get that £40m for James McAtee, but that’s the area that they’re looking at. If a club comes in and raises an offer and matches that fee, we fully expect that McAtee will leave.”
Several Bundesliga clubs remain interested in McAtee and are waiting for the midfielder to make a decision on his next club.
Once they get the go-ahead from the player, clubs will submit bids to Man City, and it is almost guaranteed none of them will match the Premier League side’s £40m asking price.
Man City to include a buyback clause in any James McAtee deal
Still burned by what happened with Palmer, if Man City do manage to agree a deal for the sale of McAtee, the Premier League giants will include a buyback clause in his contract, reports the Daily Mail.
“McAtee is hot property. Forest have seen a £25m bid rejected in recent days, with Eintracht Frankfurt considered to be a firm option for the attacking midfielder,” Jack Gaughan wrote about the midfielder’s future.
“Interest from fellow Bundesliga side RB Leipzig is dependent on the future of Chelsea target Xavi Simons, while a third German side in Borussia Dortmund, have kept a close eye. City will include a buyback clause in any deal for the academy graduate.”
McAtee is still very likely to leave the Etihad Stadium before the transfer window shuts, but how quickly it will happen will depend on how willing the Manchester club are to step away from their £40m valuation.
