Varun Pai
Barcelona join Manchester United in the pursuit of Man City academy graduate James McAtee
According to the Daily Mail (h/t The Sun), Barcelona have joined Manchester United to complete a deal for Man City academy graduate James McAtee.
The youngster has caught the eye of several clubs after his fantastic start to the season. The attacking midfielder’s talents were there for all to see as he displayed a stellar performance for the senior side during their third-round EFL Cup victory against Wycombe Wanderers.
However, McAtee has primarily played in the youth setup this season and has been in sensational goal scoring form. The 19-year-old has played only 14 games so far but has already racked up 15 goals. His playing style has seen him dubbed the ‘Salford Silva’ for his likeness to club legend David Silva.
The Spaniard was one of the best Premier League players in the last decade, and the City graduate would be hoping to follow in the iconic man’s footsteps. However, the youngster may not have a future in the senior side and only has 18 months left on his contract. Man United have seen this as an opportunity and are looking to poach the youngster from their city rivals’ grasp.
The Englishman was in the United academy as a young boy but left to join the Etihad later. The Red Devils have always been keen on talented academy players, and their recruitment process and promotion to the first team has been sound under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
However, they have now been joined by Barcelona to rival for the midfielder’s signature. The Blaugrana have introduced several youngsters into the first team over the last couple of years, including Ansu Fati, Riqui Puig, Pedri, Ronald Araujo, and a couple of others.
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The Nou Camp outfit share a good relationship with Pep Guardiola and could use that influence to complete a deal.
Thus, it will be down to the Old Trafford outfit to convince the youngster that their project is the most exciting one, and lure him away from their rivals and any competition.
