Manchester City resigned to sanctioning £25M transfer for first-team midfielder | OneFootball

James McAtee will be allowed to leave Manchester City for as little as £20 million this summer, as per several reports.

The 22-year-old is believed to be keen on a fresh start away from his boyhood club for regular first-team to progress his development after playing a bit-part role under Pep Guardiola in Manchester City’s first-team ranks last term.

McAtee racked up impressive figures when he was called upon by Guardiola last season however, scoring seven times in 27 appearances in all competitions over the course of a turbulent year by all accounts at the Etihad Stadium.

However, the Salford-born star is understood to be keen on a new chapter and after captaining the England U-21 squad to European Championship glory in June, McAtee’s stock is as high as it’s ever been amid interest from a long list of clubs across Europe.

Bayer Leverkusen have held a long-standing interest in McAtee, who was understood to be particularly attracted to the idea of moving to Germany, which has been a famous destination for young English players eyeing their first big break away from their boyhood clubs over the years.

Eintracht Frankfurt have also kept a close watch on McAtee, who decided to represent the young Three Lions at the U-21 European Championship last month and turned down a call-up from Pep Guardiola to be part of Manchester City’s FIFA Club World Cup squad.

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has reported that Atalanta have also kept across developments around McAtee, who will be allowed to leave Manchester City permanently for a fee in the region of £20-25 million this summer.

iSport have added that Everton are weighing up a £25 million bid for the wantaway Manchester City academy graduate, who spent a few years on loan at Sheffield United before returning to his boyhood club last summer and forming part of Guardiola’s first-team squad for the 2024-25 campaign.

Everton have also been linked with bringing back John Stones to Merseyside this summer – nine years on from when the 31-year-old became one of Guardiola’s first signings at the Etihad Stadium for £47.5 million.

It remains to be seen whether the Toffees step up their interest in McAtee and table a formal offer for the Manchester City midfielder, who has also attracted interest from Borussia Dortmund after an impressive second half of the 2024-25 campaign in sky blue.

McAtee’s impending departure would signal another successful sale from Manchester City’s prestigious academy, which has produced some of England’s best talent in recent seasons and yielded the club significant profit in the transfer market owing to a number of lucrative sales.

Jadon Sancho, Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, Liam Delap and Morgan Rogers are some examples of Manchester City academy graduates who have sought permanent transfers away from the Etihad Stadium and have excelled on their respective journeys beyond Manchester.