Nottingham Forest Targets Manchester City’s James McAtee After Leverkusen Deal Falls Through

Nottingham Forest is making a late push in the January transfer window, setting their sights on Manchester City’s James McAtee. This opportunity arose after Bayer Leverkusen unexpectedly withdrew their interest in the young midfielder.

Forest, currently enjoying a strong Premier League campaign under Nuno Espirito Santo, are looking to bolster their squad for a potential Champions League qualification push. Despite their impressive form, the club has yet to secure any new signings this month.

According to recent reports, Forest is now plotting a move for McAtee following Leverkusen’s decision to pursue Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendia instead. This development has reopened the possibility for McAtee to leave Manchester City’s bench and join Espirito Santo’s ambitious project at the City Ground.

However, Manchester City may be reluctant to let McAtee go, given their own injury concerns and Premier League aspirations. The young midfielder recently impressed manager Pep Guardiola with a hat-trick in an FA Cup match against Salford City.

Guardiola praised McAtee’s performance, stating: “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.”

If the transfer materializes, McAtee could follow in the footsteps of Anthony Elanga, who successfully moved from Manchester United to Nottingham Forest. The potential deal highlights Forest’s strategy of acquiring promising talent from top clubs to strengthen their squad.

With the transfer window closing soon, Nottingham Forest will need to act quickly if they hope to secure McAtee’s services. The coming days will be crucial in determining whether the “special” youngster will swap Manchester City for the City Ground.