Insider reveals update on Man City triggering James McAtee buy-back: 'Watch out...'

Manchester City are continuing to keep a close eye on the progress of former midfielder James McAtee at Nottingham Forest.

That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Citizens still haven't ruled out the chance of re-signing their former academy graduate.

The 23-year-old has impressed for Forest so far this season and has started all five Premier League games for them under Oliver Glasner.

Wyness outlined that City are the "outstanding" club at the moment when it comes to player trading, and could even trigger their clause to bring McAtee back, just to sell him again at a higher fee.

The exact value of their buy-back clause is unclear, but City supporters have regularly suggested that it is likely to be around the £65million mark.

McAtee has struggled since his £30million move to the City Ground last summer, but he is finally starting to prove his worth.

James McAtee sale was a smart move for Man City

Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that City made an extremely clever move by inserting their buy-back clause for McAtee.

The Scottish businessman believes that buy-back clauses are "one of the smartest things in football" at the moment, and expects them to become increasingly prominent in the coming years,

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness was in no doubt that City will be keeping an eye on McAtee's progress.

"Sure, absolutely (City will be tracking him). I think these buy-back clauses are some of the smartest things in football right now because you're buying in the future at a lower price potentially," he said.

"I always thought McAtee was a player, and I was disappointed when there was talk of him coming to Everton that they missed out on him. He's now showing signs of the potential that we saw glimpses of before.

"It would certainly make sense for City, even if they were to buy him back and then resell him; there's a way for City to trade on that. As we've discussed, City are becoming the outstanding trading club at the moment. 

"That's where they're going to be out-trading people rather than out-buying people. They've bought well and the academy's done well. So they're reaping the rewards. 

"But watch out for all these buy-back clauses. These are the smart things right now in football about putting a marker in the price for potential talent that could explode in the years to come."

Has John McAtee turned a corner at Nottingham Forest?

Football Insider revealed back in July that McAtee had no intention of leaving Forest during the summer window, despite strong interest from West Ham.

That decision has proved to be fruitful for the former England U21 international, as he has had a vastly improved role so far this term.

McAtee played just 289 minutes of Premier League football last season, but has been reborn since Glasner's arrival at the City Ground in the summer.

The Austrian has shown clear faith in the youngster, who has excelled in a more deeper-lying midfield role in the opening few games.

McAtee has been a key performer for Forest so far this season, and his displays are sure to keep City on their toes moving forward.