James McAtee makes a major transfer decision, it’s great news for Nottingham Forest

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James McAtee has been one of Nottingham Forest’s top summer targets and has just given the Reds a boost to secure his services.

Nottingham Forest News understands that McAtee was open to moving to Forest, but the Manchester City man had plenty of options to consider for his next move.

Like plenty of young English talents, McAtee had options in Germany from the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen, where he would be able to ply his trade in the Champions League.

West Ham have also shown interest in McAtee as a Premier League rival, but the England U21 international has just made a decision that will significantly boost Forest’s chances.

James McAtee rules out move in major Nottingham Forest boost

Given the continued potential of Morgan Gibbs-White’s exit, Forest have advanced their efforts to sign McAtee, but the option of German football remained a constant complication.

However, according to Sky Sports, McAtee has decided to reject any move to Germany, giving Forest a major boost to finally secure their man.

The report said: “James McAtee has rejected a move abroad amid interest from clubs in Germany and Italy. It’s understood the Manchester City midfielder prefers to stay in England.”

After captaining Elliot Anderson and the England U21s side to Euro glory in the summer, McAtee’s stock couldn’t be higher so his preference to stay in England suggests that he’s ready to make a real impact as a starter.

Of course, the likes of West Ham could still provide competition to Forest, but the enticing boost of European football should put the Reds ahead of the competition. Alongside this, Man City may have reason to favour negotiations with Evangelos Marinakis.

James McAtee could play a role in a Morgan Gibbs-White deal

Marinakis remains furious with Tottenham given the dispute in how they approached Gibbs-White, so there could be a scenario where City come back into play for the midfielder.

In fact, Marinakis is hoping City come back in for Gibbs-White after their initial interest at the end of last season, which could make negotiations for McAtee more interesting.

Back in May, Gibbs-White was a priority target for City and with the £60m clause now public knowledge, Pep Guardiola’s side may be tempted back in for another move.

In this scenario, then, Forest could ask for McAtee as part of any deal to offload Gibbs-White, allowing Marinakis to get his wish and not deal with Spurs and giving Nuno Espírito Santo a perfect attacking midfield replacement.