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Newcastle eye a move for “special” £25m youngster
It is no secret that Newcastle United are in the market for attacking reinforcements in their squad ahead of their Champions League campaign next season.
The Magpies offloaded Miguel Almiron in January and are not expected to renew Callum Wilson’s contract after it expired this week.
As a result, it would be unwise to go into the new campaign without much-needed depth and rotation in their attacking threat, given their ambitions to compete comfortably in every competition with European football newly added to their schedule.
The North East giants had their first bid rejected for Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga, but remain confident of coming to an agreement with the Tricky Trees as they prepare an improved bid.
However, it would be surprising to see Elanga become the only new addition on Tyneside this summer, so ramping up their recruitment efforts will be imperative over the coming weeks.
According to Football Insider, Newcastle are one of the Premier League clubs interested in signing Manchester City talent James McAtee this summer.
The publication claims that McAtee is planning to make a permanent exit from his current club after falling further down the pecking order upon the arrival of Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki.
Newcastle are joined by Nottingham Forest in their interest in signing the Englishman, and both clubs are weighing up an offer.
It was reported earlier this week that City would prefer to sell at £25m with a buy-back clause.
Should Newcastle sign James McAtee?
There is a lot to like about McAtee in the short amount of time he has been on the scene, and an investment in his talent could be a long-term masterclass.
The England U21 international captained his nation to victory over Germany in the European Championship final at the weekend, playing an integral part in the success of his side.
At club level his opportunities have been few under Pep Guardiola, but he has not gone without praise and recognition from his treble-winning manager.
Speaking to the media following McAtee’s hat-trick scored against Salford City in the FA Cup last season, Guardiola claimed:
“I am so happy for him, he is a special player. A hat trick is not easy.”
“He has an incredible sense in front of goal, he has the right tempo, he changed the rhythm to score and I am very happy for him.”
Due to his lack of minutes at City, McAtee has struggled to define his best position, but has experience operating from midfield and on the right wing, with the latter a vacant role that Newcastle desperately need to fill.
There is nothing Eddie Howe loves more than a young English talent with raw ability that can be developed and polished, something U21 teammates Elliot Anderson and Tino Livramento have both experienced and benefited from.
As a result, it shouldn’t take too much convincing for McAtee to join the Magpies.
He could finally earn the first-team football and development he is missing out on with the Sky Blues, helping take his game to the next level.
