James McAtee Manchester City
Leeds United are interested in signing Manchester City teenager James McAtee, according to The Athletic.
The Lowdown: McAtee profiled
The 19-year-old has been labelled ‘exceptional’ by his manager Pep Guardiola. The left-footed attacking midfielder, who can also play as a centre-forward or in a deeper role, has made six senior appearances for City. [Transfermarkt]
He has starred in the Etihad academy, contributing to 46 goals in 52 games for the under-23s, and he has represented England at under-20 level.
The Latest: Leeds interested in McAtee
The Athletic shared an in-depth story on Manchester City’s transfer plans for the rest of the summer, which included a potential move for Kalvin Phillips.
They claimed that ‘City youngsters could be used as makeweights in deals this summer’, with Leeds name-checked with an interest in Romeo Lavia and McAtee. The Whites are thought to be ‘very keen’ on McAtee, but the Premier League champions want to keep hold of his services and aren’t planning for any exit.
The Verdict: Interesting…
Leeds hold the cards when it comes to a move for Phillips, but it looks as if they will find it hard to bring McAtee to Elland Road as makeweight.
They may have more luck when it comes to Lavia, though, who is also a holding midfielder. His pathway to first-team football under Guardiola could be hampered if Phillips completes a move to the Etihad, so you’d expect that a move for the Belgian would be the more likely of the two.
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It would be a shrewd piece of business if they could also land McAtee, given how highly he is rated by City and his impressive goal contributions for their under-23s.
In other news: Leeds and Orta now eyeing shock move for ‘waste of time’; he’s missed 217 games through injury.Â
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