‘James McAtee makes Man City exit decision after Jude Bellingham claim’
James McAtee could follow in the footsteps of Jude Bellingham if he swaps Manchester City for the Bundesliga this summer.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson argued that a switch to the Bundesliga could be perfect for McAtee to develop his career.
Man City are happy to accept offers of around £25million for McAtee and he was left out of their Club World Cup squad by Pep Guardiola, making clear that the 22-year-old was well down the pecking order.
McAtee’s future looks certain to lie away from the Etihad Stadium, and Robinson told Football Insider that a move to the Bundesliga rather than elsewhere in the Premier League could be the most beneficial.
Several Bundesliga clubs are long-term admirers of McAtee and Bayer Leverkusen are one of many sides linked with a move for the playmaker, as Guardiola prepares to sanction a summer exodus at Man City.
Robinson highlighted Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham to Football Insider as examples of young English players who went from strength to strength in the Bundesliga, and backed McAtee to follow suit.
‘Bundesliga move a no-brainer for McAtee’s development’
Borussia Dortmund already have added to the number of youthful England stars in the Bundesliga with the signing of Jobe Bellingham from Sunderland, and Robinson questioned if McAtee could be the next.
Speaking on the latest Inside Track, he argued that McAtee must move to a club where he’s guaranteed regular game-time, and the Bundesliga has proven to be a competition where he’ll get plenty of minutes.
“It’s now about [McAtee] fulfilling his potential, whether that be at Manchester City or elsewhere”,
“It’s looking more and more likely that it’s going to be elsewhere – if you look at Manchester City’s rebuild, he’s a player that will become surplus to requirements.
“He wants to go somewhere else and play. The Bundesliga; we’ve seen it’s been a good breeding ground for young English talent.
“You look at Jadon Sancho, [Erling] Haaland, Bellingham – both Bellinghams – the Bundesliga does seem to suit the English style of play.
“The Bundesliga wouldn’t be a bad move for him, but also there’ll be a lot of Premier League suitors, I suspect, looking at him as well.”
Man City happy to sanction Bundesliga move for McAtee
Guardiola is well aware of McAtee’s talent level to the extent that neither of his moves to Sheffield United included options to buy, and Man City had previously been hesitant to sanction a permanent transfer.
Those circumstances have changed though and it appears inevitable that McAtee will join Jack Grealish, Kalvin Phillips and others at the exit door, and as a result he has attracted ample Premier League interest.
McAtee could come back to haunt City if he moves to another English club, and given the successful track record of English imports to the Bundesliga, Guardiola may prefer to see him end up in Germany this summer.