Manchester United and Nottingham Forest are reportedly the latest clubs to enter the race for Manchester City midfielder James McAtee this summer.
After enjoying a two-year loan spell at Sheffield United, McAtee was integrated into Pep Guardiola's first-team squad at the start of this season, but first-team opportunities were initially hard to come by.
McAtee was reduced to just 11 substitute outings in the Premier League before scoring on his first top-flight start for City in a 5-2 win over Crystal Palace earlier this month, while he was handed a second start in the Citizens' 2-1 victory against Aston Villa on Tuesday.
A lack of regular game time for the 22-year-old has led to speculation over his long-term future at the Etihad Stadium where he is under contract until June 2026.
Last season's Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen have regularly been linked with McAtee and a recent report claimed that they have made direct contact with Man City over a summer transfer.
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Man Utd, Forest among clubs to rival Leverkusen for McAtee
However, Leverkusen may face stern competition for McAtee's signature, as The Telegraph claims that the midfielder has emerged as a target for Man United and Nottingham Forest, while Newcastle United and AC Milan are among several other clubs monitoring developments around his situation.
The report adds that Man City rebuffed an offer from Leverkusen to loan McAtee in January with the option of a permanent £25m transfer this summer.
Both Leverkusen and Nottingham Forest are said to hold a strong interest in McAtee at a time when both Florian Wirtz and Morgan Gibbs-White have been tipped to potentially leave their respective clubs amid interest from Man City.
Indeed, McAtee's future at Man City could depend on whether Guardiola's side press ahead with big-money moves for Wirtz and Gibbs-White, although it is said to be unlikely that they will look to recruit both attacking midfielders.
While a move to either Forest or Leverkusen could appeal to McAtee as both clubs are in contention to qualify for next season's Champions League, a potential transfer to rivals Man United would come as a surprise, although the youngster did spent time in the Red Devils academy before joining City at the age of 10.
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Guardiola keen for McAtee to stay despite interest from elsewhere
What is for certain is that Guardiola is keen to keep hold of McAtee at Man City and has admitted that the midfielder would like more first-team game time.
"For the age I would like him to stay. I understand, the players want more minutes I understand that," Guardiola told reporters. "I would like him to stay, he's an academy player, he knows the patterns, he's a lovely person, a lovely guy.
"He trains really good, plays in different positions. I like him but with the squad, it's how we finish and we will see. We haven't seen it [from McAtee] this season because I didn't allow him to play minutes.
"I cannot ask anything from these types of players when they do not play a lot of minutes. They could do better? No. Macca has this quality, he could've scored four goals [against Crystal Palace]. He has the ability to create chances, he is there."
McAtee is hoping for more senior opportunities in City's final few games of the campaign and is currently waiting to discover if he will be cleared to play for England at this summer's European Under-21 Championship as the tournament clashes with the Citizens' involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
Oliver Thomas
