Nottingham Forest closing in on Man City midfielder James McAtee | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest are on the cusp of finalising a deal to sign Manchester City attacking midfielder James McAtee, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Negotiations between both clubs are progressing at a decent pace, but there’s no final agreement yet.

McAtee has been told that he is surplus to requirements this summer and is one of a few players the Cityzens are looking to sell this month.

Since City made McAtee available for transfer, several clubs across Europe have inquired about the conditions for a deal, but Forest are set to beat the competition.

Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt have been keeping a close eye on McAtee’s situation, and their interest dates back to January.

However, they never formalised their interest with an official proposal, leaving the door wide open for Forest to swoop in.

McAtee is a versatile midfielder who can cover several roles in the middle of the park. He can play as an attacking eight or number ten. He can also play out wide if his skill set is required there.

He’s the sort of player that gives manager Nuno Espirito Santo more tactical flexibility, and Forest are moving fast to get a deal over the line and avoid any last-minute hijacks.

Forest have lost Danilo to Botafogo and Lewis O’Brien to Wrexham, so they are looking to bolster their options in the middle of the park.

They also explored moves for AC Milan’s Yunus Musah and wantaway Juventus ace Douglas Luiz, but McAtee has become their priority target.

McAtee scored seven goals in 27 appearances last season. Three of those goals came in the Premier League, where he started in just three of his 15 appearances.

He was part of Lee Carsley’s England Under-21 side this summer, captaining the team to a successful European Championship title defence.

The Englishman chose to link up with Carsley’s squad rather than join Man City in the Club World Cup.