Transfer race for English talent
BVB and Leverkusen are chasing Guardiola professional
January 3, 2025 – 6:53 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
He only made three appearances in the Premier League this season. Nevertheless, two Bundesliga clubs are now said to be interested in James McAtee.
Will an English youth international move to the Bundesliga? As the pay TV broadcaster Sky reports, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen are interested in James McAtee. The 22-year-old is under contract with Manchester City and is trained there by none other than Pep Guardiola.
This season, McAtee only made three league appearances for the “Cityzens”. In total, he was only on the field for 26 minutes. 24 of them came in his team’s last Premier League appearance at the end of December, a 2-0 away win at Leicester City.
However, McAtee could now leave Manchester. The midfielder, who was loaned out to Sheffield United for the past two seasons and certainly managed to attract attention there, was chosen as a transfer target by BVB and Leverkusen this January. McAtee is said to be high on Dortmund’s list, reports Sky. But Leverkusen is also seriously interested in him.
The club’s plan: McAtee should move on loan – with the option to buy. The other option: McAtee doesn’t move permanently to the Bundesliga until the summer. His contract in Manchester runs until 2026. The professional’s market value is estimated at 14 million euros.
Exciting again: Manchester City actually doesn’t want to give up McAtee, they say. But does the talent only want to sit on the bench for the English team?
The Dortmund option in particular seems quite attractive. In recent years, BVB has brought out two young English players, Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham. McAtee could be next.