Leeds United join Premier League trio in race for £25m Man City star Pep Guardiola absolutely loves

Leeds United have been linked with fresh interest in Manchester City’s James McAtee - although they could now face competition from a trio of future Premier League rivals.

McAtee emerged as an ambitious possible target for Leeds last summer as Daniel Farke eyed No.10 reinforcements that eventually never came, with the 22-year-old staying on board at City where he has started just three Premier League games all season. The attacking midfielder has impressed when called upon, however, with seven goals across all competitions bettered only by Phil Foden and Erling Haaland.

But with a busy summer expected at the Etihad, McAtee could end up drifting further away from the first-team picture and interest in his signature is building ahead of the transfer window opening. And now The Sunday Mirror report on his possible City exit, with five teams weighing up a move for the England youth international.

Among them are Leeds, who will be expected to add more depth and quality at No.10 with Brenden Aaronson the only current natural option in that role. But any move for McAtee will not be easy to pull off, with Champions League hopefuls Nottingham Forest joining West Ham United, Crystal Palace and top-flight German outfit Bayer Leverkusen in the race.

City are thought to be reluctant to a sale, having seen the impact Cole Palmer has enjoyed at a direct top-four rivals Chelsea, but there appears to be an understanding first-team football is needed. Mcatee’s contract expires next summer and so to avoid the risk of a free transfer in 12 months, they are believed to want around £25million for their academy graduate.

Man City’s James McAtee stance amid Leeds United transfer links

Manager Pep Guardiola has regularly outlined his desire to keep McAtee, who earned just his third league start of the season in Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Southampton, and often singled out the attacking midfielder for praise. But as is true at club-level, it appears there is an acknowledgement regular football is needed.

“Macca has this quality, he could’ve scored four goals [in a 5-2 win against Crystal Palace],” Guardiola said last month. “He has the ability to create chances, he is there. Macca lives close to the box, quite similar to Phil [Foden] and they are there. They have a sense [of goal], it’s difficult to train in the moment the ball is coming and after he didn’t score but it’s fine. As many minutes he plays he will score.

“For the age I would like him to stay. I understand, the players want more minutes, I understand that. I would like him to stay, he’s an academy player, he knows the patterns, he’s a lovely person, a lovely guy. He trains really good, plays in different positions. I like him but with the squad, it’s how we finish and we will see.”

Should all of the aforementioned admirers pursue a move for McAtee this summer, then Leeds might find it hard to compete with more established Premier League teams or those preparing for Champions League football. Forest in particular could hold a significant trump card, given City have been heavily linked with a move for their talismanic attacking midfielder, Morgan Gibbs-White.

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