Exclusive: Man City’s stance revealed after James McAtee loan-to-buy offer
Man City boss Pep Guardiola will not stand in James McAtee’s way if he wants to join Bayer Leverkusen, sources have told Football Insider.
The German giants have approached City with a loan-to-buy offer for the 22-year-old.
McAtee has featured regularly for Guardiola’s side in recent weeks but was an unused substitute during the win over Chelsea on Saturday (25 January).
New signing Omar Marmoush was given the nod on the left side of City’s attack and will be a regular starter following his arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt, pushing McAtee down the pecking order.
City want to keep the England Under-21 international, but he has just 18 months left to run on his contract at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola has a long history of allowing players to depart if they express a desire to leave, with Kyle Walker leaving for AC Milan this month in a similar fashion.
McAtee has made 14 appearances across all competitions this term but has started in just four of those outings.
Guardiola open to letting McAtee leave Man City
The attacking midfielder has hit five goals in the 2024-25 campaign, including a hattrick in the 8-0 win over Salford and a goal in the 6-0 win over Ipswich this month.
He gained regular first-team experience during loan spells with Sheffield United in the last two seasons.
The Salford-born ace made 75 appearances for the Blades, notching 14 goals and eight assists.
Football Insider revealed on 30 December that Celtic and Premier League trio West Ham, Fulham and Crystal Palace are admirers of the midfielder.
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