Nottingham Forest Eye £40m-rated Manchester City Midfielder James McAtee as Replacement for Departing Stars

Nottingham Forest are exploring a potential transfer for Manchester City midfielder James McAtee, following the recent exits of two key players from the club. The club is keen to bolster their attacking options after losing Anthony Elanga to Newcastle and Morgan Gibbs-White to Tottenham, both for substantial fees.

Forest is reportedly considering an initial bid of around £25 million plus add-ons for McAtee. However, it is understood that Manchester City values the young midfielder closer to £40 million, a figure similar to the fee paid by Chelsea for Cole Palmer two years ago. McAtee, aged 22, made 27 appearances for City last season, netting seven goals across all competitions. He also played a significant role in England Under-21s’ successful defense of their European Championship title this summer.

Previously, McAtee was on loan at Sheffield United, where he featured before their relegation from the Premier League. City has also retained a high valuation for the player, emphasizing his homegrown status. Nottingham Forest recognizes the need to strengthen their squad and view McAtee as a promising addition to fill the attacking void left by their outgoing stars.

The club has also considered other targets, including Brentford’s Yoane Wissa—valued around £50 million—and PSV Eindhoven winger Johan Bakayoko, who has attracted interest from Bayer Leverkusen. Earlier in the transfer window, Forest showed interest in Juventus duo Timothy Weah and Samuel Mbangula, as well as Lyon’s Malick Fofana, but those deals have yet to materialize.

Nottingham Forest are targeting a move for Manchester City star James McAtee

The forward captained England’s U21s to a second consecutive European Championship victory

Nottingham Forest are preparing for the departure of Morgan Gibbs-White (left) and Anthony Elanga (right)