Leeds United are among a handful of Premier League clubs to have ‘checked on’ Nottingham Forest’s James McAtee, according to reports.
Leeds have regularly been linked with interest in McAtee over recent years, with Daniel Farke wanting a No.10 ever since Georginio Rutter left for Brighton in 2024. The Whites failed to sign a creative outlet in the summer and are thought to remain interested in doing so when the January window opens next week.
The YEP reported earlier this month that Leeds are set to explore the loan market and at the time of writing, it was rated highly unlikely they would end January without adding. And according to a fresh report, it appears they are already making contact over the availability of potential targets.
According to the Daily Mail, Leeds have checked on McAtee’s situation at Forest but they are not alone. Indeed, Champions League side Chelsea are also thought to be interested in the attacking midfielder, while Bournemouth could also explore a loan move if they lose Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City.
As was the case in the summer, McAtee is also believed to have plenty of admirers in Germany. The England Under-21s captain is reportedly on the radar of Stuttgart, Red Bull Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt.
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McAtee joined Forest from Manchester City in a deal worth up to £30million last summer but has struggled for regular football. Half of the 23-year-old’s 10 appearances across all competitions have come from the bench and he watched last month’s 3-1 win over Leeds from the sidelines.
He is yet to register a single goal or assist in those 10 appearances, however, and has played just 24 minutes of Premier League football since Sean Dyche took over at the City Ground on October 21. Forest are said to still believe McAtee has a bright future with them, suggesting any kind of January move would be temporary.
It remains to be seen if Forest would be open to improving a direct relegation rival, with Leeds currently one point better off with their game in hand at Sunderland to come later this afternoon. Dyche’s side were expected to climb away from immediate danger but as of yet, they remain in a fight to survive.
Bournemouth could also quickly become a relegation rival having failed to win any of their last nine games, losing 4-1 at Brentford on Saturday. Victory for Leeds at the Stadium of Light would pull them level on points with Andoni Iraola’s side, who are expected to lose talisman Semenyo next month.
Chelsea’s interest is labelled ‘surprising’ in the Daily Mail report, given the wealth of attacking talent they already have, and Leeds will be particularly aware of the London club. Elland Road chiefs came close to signing Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton in the summer but saw the rug pulled from under their feet when he moved to Stamford Bridge, where he has barely featured.
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