Manchester City 'lay out conditions' for James McAtee exit as new club 'joins race' for £25m attacker

New club joins McAtee race as Man City 'lay out demands' for summer exit
© Imago
Manchester City reportedly lay out their exit conditions for James McAtee as a new Bundesliga club joins the race for the Under-21 European champion.

Borussia Dortmund have reportedly joined the long list of Bundesliga clubs interested in a deal for Manchester City's James McAtee as they seek a Jamie Bynoe-Gittens successor.

Over the weekend, it was reported that Dortmund and Chelsea had come to an agreement over a £55m deal for English winger Gittens, who will soon be unveiled as the Blues' newest recruit.

The German giants - who face Monterrey in the Club World Cup last 16 on Tuesday - had already partially prepared for Gittens's departure by striking a deal for Jobe Bellingham.

Head coach Niko Kovac can also call upon the likes of Karim Adeyemi and Julian Brandt in the final third, but the Dortmund manager is seemingly keen to strengthen his attacking options further.

According to The Guardian, BVB have added McAtee to their list of possible successors for Gittens as speculation surrounding the Manchester City attacker's future heats up.

Dortmund 'in four-team Bundesliga battle' for McAtee

England Under-21s Harvey Elliott and James McAtee celebrate on June 21, 2025

McAtee's next career move was already the subject of serious debate before the Under-21 European Championships, and his stock has risen even higher after leading England to continental glory.

McAtee wore the captain's armband throughout the competition and registered one goal and two assists as the Young Lions defended their title with a thrilling 3-2 extra-time win over Germany in Saturday's final.

The 22-year-old set up Omari Hutchinson's strike on the night before lifting the trophy as skipper, but he does not appear to have a future at the Etihad under Pep Guardiola.

While Kevin De Bruyne has departed for Napoli, City have captured Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders to strengthen their attacking midfield ranks, so McAtee will likely have to seek pastures new to earn the game time he desires.

In addition to Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, RB Leipzig and Stuttgart are supposedly all in the mix for McAtee, while Bayer Leverkusen have 'previously assessed' the Englishman, but it is not clear whether they are still pursuing him as a Florian Wirtz replacement.

City 'lay out conditions' for McAtee exit

Manchester City's James McAtee pictured during the warm-up on August 10, 2024

As McAtee has entered the last year of his Man City contract with no sign of an extension, another loan exit is out of the question for the 22-year-old, who previously spent two seasons with Sheffield United.

However, even though they are running the risk of losing McAtee for nothing in 2026, the Sky Blues supposedly still want a minimum of £25m to sanction his departure in the current window.

Furthermore, City are also keen to retain a buyback clause for the Under-21 European champion, who has scored seven goals in 34 matches for the Citizens across all competitions.

McAtee netted all seven of those strikes in the 2024-25 campaign, including three efforts in the Premier League, but he also started just three top-flight matches for Guardiola's side.

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Written by
Ben Knapton

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