Manchester City’s stance on James McAtee ahead of January transfer window revealed | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City intend to hold on to the services of James McAtee beyond the upcoming January transfer window on one condition.

The future of the England youth international has been thrown into doubt in recent weeks having continued to hold a place on the Manchester City bench despite the club’s rut across competitions in terms of results.

The young playmaker returned from two consecutive loan spells at Sheffield United in the Premier League and Championship to join up with Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad following a personal request to keep him within the group from the manager himself.

However, despite worrying fitness issues and a lack of consistency and form from other stars, McAtee has only managed to register just eight appearances across competitions, amounting to 333 minutes and starting just two matches.

As such, there has been a growing interest in the player in the lead up to the January transfer window, with the likes of Crystal Palace and Fulham having been mooted in various quarters over a potential permanent agreement.

But according to the information of journalist Alan Nixon, Manchester City have an intention to keep hold of central midfield option James McAtee, in a stance that will disappoint the likes of West Ham United, unless they can find a direct replacement in the market.

Manchester City are guaranteed to be welcoming one new young playmaker into their squad in the coming weeks with Claudio Echeverri joining following the conclusion of his loan deal with River Plate this month.

The Premier League champions reached an agreement with the Argentina youth international until the summer of 2028, in a deal worth £12.5 million plus add-ons during the January market of 2024.

At the time, it was agreed that Echeverri would remain with his club in Argentina until the following January market, and the player himself has now bid farewell to River via a club interview and a social media post.

It remains to be seen what sort of impact the 18-year-old will have on the Etihad Stadium squad, and whether it could see less of an opening for James McAtee and other young midfielders in Pep Guardiola’s roster.