Manchester City midfielder subject to interest from SEVEN clubs on eve of Premier League return

A number of clubs continue to hold an interest in Manchester City midfielder James McAtee, with the 20-year-olds future still undecided.

McAtee, who spent the previous campaign on a season-long loan at Sheffield United, scored during a pre-season friendly for Manchester City against Bayern Munich in Tokyo last month.

The 20-year-old has made six senior appearances under Pep Guardiola; but made 43 appearances for Sheffield United last season, where the Englishman was directly involved in 13 goals.

McAtee has been linked with a potential return to Bramall Lane amid questions marks surrounding first-team opportunities at the Etihad Stadium, despite Manchester City losing former club captain Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona on a free transfer.

The midfielder hasn’t featured competitively for the City first-team since a 0-0 draw against Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Champions League in March 2022.

Pep Guardiola has added former Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic to his squad, while West Ham and Brazil star Lucas Paqueta has emerged as a shock transfer target for the Sky Blues.

McAtee was an unused substitute during the the FA Community Shield loss to Arsenal at Wembley Stadium last weekend, and remains subject to transfer interest from a number of clubs.

Simon Jones reports that the 20-year-olds Manchester City future is in doubt, with seven clubs from across England and Europe currently linked with the midfielder.

Wolves, Brighton, Real Sociedad, Southampton, Celtic, Sheffield United and AZ Alkmaar are all interested in the central midfielder, according to the Daily Mail.

Both permanent and loan deals are on the table, with Brighton having previously had an £8 million bid rejected in 2021.

Fellow City Football Academy graduate Cole Palmer also has an uncertain future at the Etihad Stadium, as the England U21 international continues to be linked with a potential season-long loan move.

Burnley and West Ham have both been mooted, with the latter considering whether to use the forward as a makeweight as part of ongoing negotiations surrounding Paqueta.

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