Leeds United may well have just received a monumental boost in pursuit of a player who Daniel Farke has liked for some time now.
Leeds United have little over a week now before the summer transfer window officially opens on June 1st.
For Daniel Farke, this summer’s transfer business needs to be absolutely spot on if his side are to stand a chance of beating the drop in the Premier League next season.
Thankfully there seems to be a growing number of players on his transfer radar ahead of the summer. There’s also some very exciting names on there too, with some names from previous transfer windows as well.
Farke will need to add definite star quality to his ranks this summer and Leeds United have a £100million transfer kitty to spend on new players. Expect Farke to spend all of that, too. One player who could eat up a chunk of that £100million of James McAtee.
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesPep Guardiola’s Man City ultimatum is great news for Leeds United
Leeds United are interested in signing McAtee this summer. They were also interested in January but the 22-year-old attacking midfielder remains with Man City, where he made 15 Premier League appearances in 2024/25, scoring three goals.
The £25million-rated McAtee is expected to leave Man City this summer with his contract expiring in the summer of 2026. And City boss Pep Guardiola has now flung the door open on a potential player exodus at Man City this summer; of which McAtee will surely be included.
Guardiola has threatened to quit if his side don’t streamline their playing squad in the summer transfer window. He told BBC Sport: “I said to the club I don’t want that [a bigger squad]. I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay. It’s impossible for my soul to [tell] my players in the tribune [stands] that they cannot play.”
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Pep later added: “As a manager I cannot train 24 players and every time I select I have to have four, five, six stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. This is not going to happen. I said to the club, I don’t want that.”
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesJames McAtee has already been told to leave Man City amid Leeds United links
McAtee already looked likely to leave the Etihad this summer. And Pep’s latest comments surely nails down an exit for McAtee, who is certainly one of the expendable members of the team.
Whether or not Leeds United could pull off a deal remains to be seen. He’d surely get regular game time at Elland Road but he might favour a move to a more established Premier League club, with the Englishman bound to have a lot of interest.
Either way, an exit is now inevitable. And speaking recently, Alan Shearer urged McAtee to leave Man City this summer, saying: “He’s not getting in their team. He’s another one that is going to have to leave.”
McAtee is certainly a name to keep an eye on this summer. He could yet be Leeds United’s marquee signing.