Leeds United are expected to make a move to sign a new no.10 in the January window to provide competition for Brenden Aaronson, but one key target is the subject of interest from 12 clubs.
Leeds lost Georginio Rutter in the summer and while Aaronson returned from his loan at Union Berlin, the Whites realised they needed another no.10. Having tried to get one, Leeds failed in their summer pursuit.
Rollad Sallai, Gustavo Hamer, Emi Buendia and even Brentford’s new £27m man Fabio Carvalho were all linked at one stage or another during the window. Angus Kinnear also said Leeds wanted James McAtee.
Graham Smyth says he expects Leeds to try and sign a no.10 in January, despite Aaronson impressing on occasion with four goals this season. McAtee remains a target but there is plenty of competition for him.
Leeds want James McAtee but 12 other clubs are interested
McAtee remains on Leeds’ radar ahead of January. That is despite the England U21 captain remaining at Man City with Pep Guardiola explaining why he chose to keep McAtee, instead of a loaning him out.
Now, Caught Offside say as many as 12 clubs are interested in the “quality” ace. Leeds are among those 12 but given the quality of club interested, a return to the Championship for McAtee does seem unlikely.
Fulham and West Ham want the £20m-rated ace, as do Scottish champions Celtic. Leicester and Russell Martin’s Southampton also want to keep him on these shores, while there is foreign interest in him too.
Lens and Lille want to lure McAtee to Ligue 1. Girona – who have a working relationship with City – are also keen. Elsewhere, Champions League side Stuttgart and Dutch outfit Feyenoord are listed as suitors.
James McAtee and Brenden Aaronson’s stats compared
There is no doubt that both players have immense quality. But McAtee adds a set-piece quality that is as yet untried with Aaronson, boasting better numbers in English football despite being two years younger.
McAtee produces a Championship goal or an assist every 70 minutes less than Aaronson. But, Aaronson has of course only played 15 times in the Championship so far in his career.
In terms of the Premier League, McAtee has actually made less top-tier outings than Aaronson but still managed to have two more goal involvements than the USA star, who struggled in his first year at Leeds.
If Leeds managed to get McAtee, it would be an incredible coup. But the calibre of clubs rivalling Leeds makes a move near-impossible, and Guardiola might still want to keep McAtee at The Etihad in January.
