Manchester City is in sporting free fall. The losses come on a historically long negative streak. Players who have previously delivered world-class sometimes run around the match arena confused. For James McAtee, it will therefore be very frustrating to see the team’s underperformance – with himself still on the bench.
The former academy player was promoted to the first team in 2021, but had to go on two loan spells to Sheffield United to get playing time. The Telegraph reports the 22-year-old is now mightily fed up.
The attacking midfielder is very unhappy with access to playing time and has opened up about leaving the club. This has caused almost two handfuls of clubs to get ready.
According to the English media, these clubs have shown great interest in signing McAtee in January:
Brentford
Borussia Dortmund
Bayer Leverkusen
RB Leipzig
West Ham
Crystal Palace
Fiorentina
bologna
Nottingham Forest
This season, the 22-year-old has been given 333 minutes on the pitch spread over 8 games, with his contract expiring in 2026, McAtee is unlikely to sign an extension.
The management of the 9 different clubs remembers well what happened when the previous former academy player, Cole Palmer, decided to seek playing time outside City.
