A young Premier League winger is attracting attention from several clubs across Europe, including Newcastle United.
Newcastle entered a new era when Paul Mitchell was appointed sporting director in July 2024, it wasn’t the best of starts for him as the Magpies failed to flex their financial muscle in the transfer market due to Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Fast forward to January and the club are still in a position where selling Toon players is the priority. It doesn’t stop them from chasing deals however, the Magpies need a right winger due to Miguel Almiron’s impending departure – leaving Jacob Murphy as the only natural right-sided attacker in Newcastle’s first-team squad.
Newcastle wants Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo but would need to fork out around £50million to make a deal happen in January. Mitchell has also looked at PSV Eindhoven winger Johan Bakayoko for Newcastle – he looks set to stay put for now.
Elsewhere, Newcastle are eyeing a move for Manchester City winger James McAtee to fill Almiron’s spot. However, many clubs believe they can land the 22-year-old.
Now, a recent report has stated why McAtee wants to leave Man City in January – it’s great news for Newcastle.
McAtee wants Man City exit for more game time
The 22-year-old has played in Manchester City’s last two Premier League games against Leicester and West Ham United respectively – he’s caught Mitchell’s eye as the Magpies look to bolster their attacking options.
The right wing has been a position that Newcastle have needed to improve for years now. While most other positions have seen quality signings which have propelled Eddie Howe’s side to new heights in recent seasons – the right side of attack has stayed stagnant with little investment.
According to The Telegraph, McAtee is favouring a move away from the defending champions after growing frustrated with a lack of playing time in the Premier League this season. McAtee has only played 36 minutes in the league this season – a player of his quality should be playing much more.
A boost for Newcastle is that McAtee’s quality makes him an immediate contender to take the right-wing spot in Howe’s starting XI.
Clubs all across Europe are interested in the 22-year-old, with his name set to move further down the pecking order as Manchester City prepare a bid for Newcastle target Omar Marmoush.
The report states that as well as Newcastle, Borussia Dortmund, Fulham, West Ham, Nottingham Forest and clubs in Italy are battling for his signature.
Should he join Newcastle, McAtee would be the second player to leave Man City in favour of a move to the North East – youth player Alfie Harrison left the Cityzens for Newcastle in January 2024.
McAtee could be Newcastle’s long-term right winger
The clubs linked with McAtee are a reflection of how highly the 22-year-old is rated across Europe. Whichever clubs lands him has a potential gem at their disposal.
McAtee has already had an experience of St James’ Park this season – he was named on the bench for Newcastle’s draw against Manchester City in September.
| Appearances (All competitions) | Minutes | Goals | |
| James McAtee | 10 | 367 | 1 |
The Englishman is also versatile, this season he has played more as an attacking midfielder but can play on either wing as well as in a deeper midfield role if need be.
McAtee has made 16 appearances for England’s under-21s and recently linked up with Newcastle defender Lewis Hall in a 7-0 win against Azerbaijan.
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