Nottingham Forest are set to make their move for Man City midfielder James McAtee “this week”, according to The Telegraph reporter John Percy.
The 22-year-old has several suitors, including Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund, West Ham and Everton. The player has also been linked with Chelsea in the past.
However, Percy claims that Forest are expected to advance their pursuit of McAtee imminently as they look to head off the competition.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are looking to reinforce their midfield, with there being doubts over the future of Morgan Gibbs-White, whose release clause was triggered by Tottenham.
McAtee’s asking price could scare away suitors
It had been reported by Fabrizio Romano that Pep Guardiola’s side were looking to sell the England Under-21 international for between £20m and £25m. However, it has subsequently been claimed that he is valued at £35m.
That price tag could potentially put off several teams and it remains to be seen whether Forest are willing to pay that much for McAtee.
Man City are expected to keep hold of another academy star
While it appears as if the Cityzens are willing to sanction the departure of McAtee, they are not looking to offload Nico O’Reilly.
There have been suggestions that the midfielder may seek to leave the Etihad in order to get more game time in his favoured position, but sources close to the club claim the player is going nowhere.
Guardiola is reportedly a big fan of O’Reilly’s and the manager is keen to have him part of his plans as we head into next season. Of course, the same decision was made with McAtee last summer but his situation is a lot different twelve months later.
In other news, a target is “keen” on making the switch to the Etihad as Man City leapfrog Premier League rival in transfer battle