West Ham and Crystal Palace Want to Sign ‘One of the Best Talents’ in January

West Ham United are among a number of clubs, including Crystal Palace, that are interested in signing Manchester City midfielder James McAtee, with the youngster eager to leave the Etihad for more regular game time, according to the Telegraph.

McAtee has managed just two cameos totalling two minutes of football in the Premier League this season, and is said to be frustrated by this lack of involvement after Pep Guardiola convinced him to remain at the club in the summer. A number of English top flight sides are subsequently monitoring the 22-year-old’s situation, with West Ham and Palace said to be two of the more keen suitors.

GIVEMESPORT sources revealed earlier this month that McAtee is increasingly likely to quit City in January, and the Telegraph indicate that the player has only grown more unsettled in recent weeks. The Hammers have identified the England under-21 international as a primary target, in an effort to acquire someone who can help with their creative issues.

West Ham Interested in McAtee

Palace are also tracking the player

James McAtee celebrating after scoring for Manchester City

After two successive years on loan at Sheffield United, in the Premier League and then the Championship, McAtee was expected to finally leave City after being at the club since the age of 11. However, Guardiola insisted that he stay in the north-west, hinting that he might play a prominent role for the Sky Blue outfit this campaign.

This certainly hasn’t transpired, with McAtee limited to starts in the EFL Cup and a handful of cameos off the bench in the league, in spite of injuries to key midfielders and City being on a run of poor form.

Thus, the Englishman, described as ‘one of the best’ talents, is pushing for a departure this winter. West Ham are in the running, and believe that McAtee could be a replacement for Lucas Paqueta, with a £20 million bid for the player expected.

The City academy graduate is eager to secure a place in England’s squad for the under-21 Euros taking place in June, and believes following a similar path to the likes of Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia in leaving the Etihad could help this. West Ham would represent an attractive destination for the starlet, while filling the void left by Michael Olise at Palace could also entice him.