Man City set James McAtee price tag as Nottingham Forest see £25m bid rejected

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TBR Football understands that Manchester City are sticking to their £40million asking price for England Under-21 star James McAtee.

Nottingham Forest have been interested in McAtee all summer, and TBR Football sources confirm that a £25 million bid has been quickly rebuffed by Manchester City.

James McAtee has just one year left on his current deal at the Etihad Stadium, but City are adamant that their valuation is right.

The former Premier League champions point to the fact that McAtee has more first-team experience than Cole Palmer when he joined Chelsea for £40 million in 2023.

The 22-year-old’s England Under-21 teammate Harvey Elliott is also being valued at around £40 million by Liverpool.

Sources: Man City standing firm over £40m James McAtee valuation

The midfielder has several suitors this summer, with Tottenham and Crystal Palace keen, but as TBR Football revealed, Forest is the most likely destination for McAtee should he remain in the Premier League.

There is still strong interest in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, who are all keen on landing him.

TBR Football’s chief correspondent Graeme Bailey revealed: “Man City believe McAtee is worth £40m, but the fact he has only 12 months left on his deal is an issue, and interested clubs think his value is some way off that.

“City at this point are saying they don’t need to sell and McAtee will remain with them unless their demands are met, but McAtee’s camp are confident he will finalise an exit soon.”

Last season, he made just eight starts for Pep Guardiola’s side, and he will be keen to secure more minutes at his next club.

McAtee captained England Under-21s to the European Championships earlier this summer, something he will now be eager to build on.

James McAtee’s Man City stats compared to Cole Palmer’s

McAtee managed 27 appearances in total for City last season, scoring on seven occasions.

Meanwhile, Palmer scored just once for the former Premier League champions during his final season at the club.

The Chelsea forward struggled for game time under Guardiola before his move to West London, as he played just 850 minutes.

McAtee will see what Palmer has done at Chelsea and be desperate to follow in his footsteps with game time in Manchester looking hard to come by still.