West Ham backed to land blockbuster £30m Nottingham Forest transfer - he'd be "good" value | OneFootball

The 23-year-old would be reunited with Nuno Espirito Santo if he were to move to the London Stadium.

The summer began with intense speculation around potential departures at West Ham, and that has gradually shifted to possible signings.

Mateus Fernandes was the first significant departure from the London Stadium, moving to rivals Tottenham in a £85million deal, while several other midfielders have been linked with the exit door.

Now that the Hammers have shifted the Portuguese, they can start plotting moves for replacements, and several names have been thrown around, including Famalicao captain Gustavo Sa.

The Irons have also been linked with a big-money move for a Nottingham Forest star, and it would certainly be viewed as a statement of intent should the deal go through.

West Ham told to really pursue Nottingham Forest's James McAtee

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James McAtee has endured a frustrating time at Nottingham Forest, having arrived in a £30milllion deal from Manchester City when Nuno Espírito Santo was in place as manager.

The 23-year-old made 14 Premier League appearances last term, notching one assist, but did play more of a pivotal role in the club's Europa League run, appearing 10 times.

Despite only being at the City Ground for a year, McAtee has been linked with a move to West Ham, and it has been reported that the Tricky Trees will try to recoup the money they shelled out on the player.

When asked whether the Englishman would be a good signing for the Irons, FLW's West Ham fan pundit Ryan Horn was in no doubt what his club should do.

"I think it would be a good signing for the Hammers," Horn told Football League World.

"You look at some of the transfers money-wise that players are going for, I think £30m is good for a young English talent that's got bags of potential.

"I see him more in the Cole Palmer range when he left to go to Chelsea. Obviously, West Ham tried to go for him, but unfortunately, he went to Chelsea, and he's done really well there. We tried to go for McAtee before he left for Forest, I believe.

"I'd love it if we got him. He can play off the right, I know he can play in that centre attacking mid role.

"It's more than just a player filling a hole. It's a bit of a message that we're not just going for the free contract players. We're going to be going for young, promising talents as well."

Is Hammers target James McAtee still worth £30m?

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While McAtee is certainly a talented player with heaps of potential, the most obvious question is whether he is worth the reported £30m price tag.

The midfielder came through the famed Manchester City academy, where he did incredibly well, scoring a glut of goals while he also enjoyed two fruitful spells with Sheffield United in the Championship.

McAtee has now made 62 Premier League appearances, scoring six and assisting four times, although it must be highlighted that the majority of those came as a substitute.

With that in mind, £30m does feel a bit steep for a player who has made little impact since signing for that figure last summer, but he does have his career ahead of him.

Of course, Nottingham Forest are notoriously tricky to deal with, with owner Evangelos Marinakis standing firm on Morgan Gibbs-White last summer, while he recently yielded an astronomical fee for England midfielder Elliot Anderson.

Indeed, if £30m is the price that the Greek wants for McAtee, then it is likely that he will stand by on such a figure, especially given what unfolded between him and Nuno.