Here is exactly what is being said about Manchester City star James McAtee joining Newcastle United

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Newcastle United have been given an update on signing Manchester City star James McAtee.

Paul Mitchell is working on bringing new players to the club to help Newcastle boss Eddie Howe continue his push for Champions League football.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
5	NewcastleNewcastle	20	10	5	5	34	22	12	35

Newcastle sees signing a right winger as a priority, despite Jacob Murphy’s good run of form in recent weeks. Miguel Almiron looks set to leave Newcastle in January – so depth in Newcastle’s first-team squad could soon become an issue.

The Daily Mail reported that Newcastle are linked with James McAtee who would bolster their attacking options.

Man City boss Pep Guardiola called McAtee “special” in pre-season following a successful run in his starting XI, but his game time has been limited in the Premier League this season. Despite that, Guardiola recently said McAtee should be playing more minutes.

The 22-year-old has only played 36 minutes in the Premier League so far this campaign and was named on the bench for Newcastle’s draw with Man City at St James’ Park in September.

Now, words from Ben Jacobs suggest Newcastle’s chances of signing McAtee have taken a big hit.

Fulham leading Newcastle in James McAtee race

Fulham have enjoyed a great start to the Premier League season, the Cottagers sit ninth in the table, just five points off Newcastle.

Fulham beat Newcastle for the first time since 2017 in September, a low point of the Magpies shaky start to the season.

Speaking on the Fully Loaded Transfer show, Jacobs was asked about the prospect of signing McAtee in January. Sadly for Newcastle, it’s possible they could now lose out on McAtee to Fulham.

“Fulham was the club I heard rather than Newcastle,” Jacobs said.

“McAtee was brilliant in pre-season, I watched Man City in America and he set the world on fire.

“But pre-season can be deceptive sometimes and for whatever reason he’s not getting that game time at the moment.

“It feels like City’s priorities are not about losing young talent or depth and it’s therefore going to be player-driven if McAtee goes. We know that if these young players go to Pep Guardiola and say they want to leave you have a situation where City don’t always tend to stand in their way.

“I don’t think for sure it’s definitive yet. A bit like Evan Ferguson at Brighton, that there will just be a loan for McAtee or a loan with an option.

“I think you might have the two extremes of you stay or you leave permanently. Unfortunately, he could be valued as high as £40m which would prove out of Newcastle’s budget.

“I’d keep an eye on Fulham as they are considering a loan, or a loan with an option closer to the tune of £25m. My understanding is that Man City feel if they are to loan him there is a feeling they can keep him in the Premier League.

“Fulham are going to be the ones to watch if City sanction a McAtee exit.”

Newcastle must sell before buying in January, so the reported asking price for McAtee will be difficult to match at this point. The hope for Mitchell and co is that there is the possibility of a loan move for the 22-year-old in January.

Newcastle’s options away from McAtee

If Newcastle are reluctant to pay the reported price for McAtee they are left with limited options.

The Toon have been linked with PSG’s Marco Asensio who is looking for a move away from France in January, and he would cost around £24.9m. However, the two clubs would prefer a loan move rather than a permanent transfer.

Newcastle also want Tyler Dibling, who has shown his potential at Southampton this season. At 18, he is valued at around £21m, significantly less than McAtee.

Although reluctant, Howe could look internally at the likes of Anthony Gordon or Harvey Barnes to play as a makeshift winger until the end of the season.