Man City plan to accept James McAtee offer ahead of January – Insider
Man City are planning to cash in on James McAtee in the January transfer window amid growing interest from Premier League clubs.
This is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that West Ham and Fulham have been keeping tabs on his progress.
The 22-year-old has failed to break into Pep Guardiola’s first-team plans since arriving back from his impressive second loan spell at Sheffield United.
So far this season, he has featured six times across all competitions and started just three times, finding the net once in the 4-0 Champions League win against Slovan Bratislava.
His situation has been compared to that of Cole Palmer, who was allowed to leave the Etihad as he had no place coming into City’s team.
As a result, there is a growing expectation that McAtee will also be allowed to leave the club should an acceptable offer arrive in January.
It has also been said that they could look to cash in on him in an attempt to raise funds which would then be reinvested into improving the starting XI.
Man City stance on James McAtee sale revealed after West Ham and Fulham twist
Football Insider revealed earlier this month that City could wait until the summer to entertain talks over McAtee’s future given their current injury situation.
Now, Brown, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, has insisted that they will listen to offers in January and look to improve their squad as a result.
“I watched him play a few times when he was at Sheffield United,” he told Football Insider.
“There’s no doubting he’s a talented player. He grabs your attention because he’s got the ability to beat somebody and play a pass or get a shot off.
“But I don’t see him holding down a regular place in the Man City team.
“He’s come through the academy ranks, gone off on loan and performed well, honed his skills, but then he’s not quite good enough to step into a really top side.
“West Ham and Fulham have been watching him, from what I hear, so that makes sense to me.
“If he’s not going to play a part in their team, it wouldn’t surprise me if they looked to sell him in January.
“They could raise money from him and reinvest it, because we’re expecting them to dip into the transfer market to improve their team.
“Remember, City let Cole Palmer go because they decided he wasn’t good enough. So is he better than Cole Palmer? That’s the question now.
“I’d wager the answer to that is no, so in that case, I’d expect they’ll probably let him leave too if one of those clubs makes an offer which is deemed acceptable.”
In other news, Man City staff are concerned about Kyle Walker.
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