Man City to make key demand as clubs queue up for James McAtee transfer
Man City have set out their terms for the potential sale of James McAtee in the summer transfer window.
The attacker has caught the eye on numerous occasions since breaking into Pep Guardiola‘s first-team at the Etihad last season, following two years on loan at Sheffield United.
However, the 22-year-old was unable to firmly establish himself as a first-choice option with the Citizens amid the range of options in the squad.
As a result, McAtee has been tipped to leave Man City before the start of next season, and the club’s demands to allow that deal to happen have now emerged.
James McAtee buyback revelation emerges
On Saturday (28 June), McAtee produced an excellent performance for England Under-21s as they beat Germany in the final of Euro 2025.
That has caught plenty of attention from the Bundesliga, with an update from The Guardian stating that Borussia Dortmund, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen are all interested in the attacker.
However, there will be terms set out by Man City that those clubs will have to meet if they are going to sign the 22-year-old.
It is stated that any deal to sign McAtee will cost a minimum of £25million, and will also include a buy back clause that would leave the door open for him to return to the Etihad Stadium.
Meanwhile, the attacker is now into the final year of his contract with Guardiola’s side, and so there is said to be no chance of him leaving on loan rather than in a sale.
Man City transfer demands make sense
Football Insider Verdict
Already this summer, Man City have boosted their attacking midfield options with the signing of Rayan Cherki from Lyon.
As a result, they will feel they can afford to sell McAtee, especially when they can raise funds to help offset some of the significant investment they have made in the window.
Indeed, given his contract situation it does seem right to sell him while they can rather than risk losing him for free this time next summer, meaning they are correct to rule out a loan deal.
Even so, the 22-year-old has shown just how good he can be this season, so there is no doubt he could become a big asset in the future.
In that respect it is sensible to include a buyback clause, since it gives Man City the security they need to bring him back in an affordable deal, if he does prove to be someone who could be valuable for them.
With all that in mind, it is hard to blame those in charge at the Etihad for taking this particular approach over McAtee in the transfer window.