According to The Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor, Leeds United are looking to bring Manchester City wonderkid James McAtee to Elland Road on a permanent deal this summer.
The 19-year-old has been linked with the Whites, with The Athletic reporting that the club are ‘very keen’ on a move for the Etihad youngster.
McAtee has proven quite the success at City’s academy, contributing 46 goals in 52 U23 games for the club and also featuring in six outings for English top-flight champions.
With Kalvin Phillips moving the other way, with a potential deal on the horizon, the Yorkshire outfit could well be looking at Manchester City’s youngsters as makeweights in the deal. Another City academy talent Romeo Lavia has been on strong interest to Leeds so far this summer, and McAtee, dubbed “exceptional” by Guardiola could also be on his way to Elland Road, according to Taylor.
He told GIVEMESPORT: “I think McAtee is one that Leeds will look at permanently. They’re partial to that kind of deal. We saw them sign Lewis Bate from Chelsea, that kind of high potential youngster that they’re willing to invest in, although it hasn’t quite worked out yet.”
TIF thoughts on McAtee…
With the 19-year-old academy product highly thought of at the Etihad, a deal to take him to Yorkshire may prove difficult for the Leeds hierarchy.
Lavia, a holding midfielder with a huge future may seem the more attainable option with Jesse Marsch looking to build a young, fresh and exciting squad at Elland Road.
It would indeed be shrewd business if they could land the Salford-born wonderkid, considering his wonderful potential and if Leeds desperately want to bring in his qualities, a loan deal may seem the more plausible option rather than a permanent one.
City will not let him go unless Marsch can provide him the game-time his qualities crave.
What has Taylor been smoking? I’ll have some of that