Five clubs to be joined by Premier League sides in big-money transfer chase for Manchester City star | OneFootball

Manchester City could be on the verge of fielding an intense transfer battle and bidding war for in-demand central midfielder James McAtee, according to reports.

The young playmaker is fresh off the back of a somewhat underwhelming campaign with Manchester City, despite Pep Guardiola personally fighting for the Academy graduate to remain with his squad last summer.

Despite earning the trust of his manager at the Etihad Stadium, McAtee found his on-field opportunities extremely limited but did impress when called upon against the likes of Salford City, Leicester City, and Slovan Bratislava in the UEFA Champions League.

With many believing that this summer could see James McAtee leave Manchester City, the club allowed the 22-year-old to stay away from their FIFA Club World Cup campaign by instead captaining England’s Under-21s at the European Championships.

And that decision would pay the ultimate dividends as the Salford-born talent would guide his side to glory at the second successive edition of the tournament, starring alongside Harvey Elliott and being named Player of the Match in the Final win over Germany.

Unsurprisingly, the tournament in Slovakia attracted the watchful eyes of some of Europe’s biggest club sides, and that is likely to work in favour of James McAtee as he goes in search of a new challenge within the game.

According to the information of MailSport’s Jack Gaughan, McAtee is now set to leave Manchester City on a permanent switch this summer with any deal set to include a buyback clause.

It is detailed that Etihad officials value the 22-year-old at more than £25 million, while there are said to be five Bundesliga sides monitoring his situation, with Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt, VfB Stuttgart, and Bayer Leverkusen all mentioned.

Additional reporting from ESPN’s Rob Dawson indicates that Manchester City also want to include a clause that would entitle them to a percentage of any future transfer for McAtee, and there is an expectation that Premier League clubs will soon enter the chase for his signature.

Manchester City have enjoyed plenty of success in recent years when it comes to contractual clauses included in the contracts of Academy graduates sold into the English and wider European game.

One name that has recently been included in that particular equation is striker Liam Delap, who joined Chelsea in a big-money deal having left Manchester City for Ipswich Town during the summer market of 2024.

Other names that could feature favourable clauses to be monitored in the future include Borussia Dortmund’s Yan Couto, Norwich City’s Jacob Wright, and Real Sociedad’s Sergio Gomez.