Nottingham Forest must walk away from James McAtee deal after Man City make new key request

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Nottingham Forest are stepping up their efforts to try and sign new players before the Premier League season.

Forest drew 0-0 with Estoril last night to register a third goalless draw in four pre-season friendlies so far this summer.

Dan Ndoye is set to sign for Forest in the coming days, with the Swiss player joining in a big-money deal from Bologna.

Other new players will also be on the horizon this month, with Nuno Espirito Santo keen to add new recruits to the squad.

Forest will play in the UEFA Conference League this season and as a result, the squad needs to be bigger to cope with those rigorous demands.

• READ MORE: Nottingham Forest want Celtic-linked defender

Nottingham Forest must walk away from James McAtee deal

McAtee has been linked with a move to the City Ground this summer, but the deal doesn’t look like an easy one.

The City player is valued at in excess of £30 million, which is mind-boggling considering the youngster has a single year to run on his existing deal.

Now, there is another piece of information that has come to light that must see Forest walk away from any potential deal right now.

City are masters in the transfer market when it comes to getting inflated fees for their young players, and now they’re trying it on again.

It’s been claimed that City want to include a buy-back clause in any deal for McAtee to leave the Etihad Stadium this season.

That simply won’t work for Forest and unless the sum of money is astronomical, then this should be the straw that breaks the camel’s back when it comes to the pursuit of McAtee.

McAtee is class but Forest must move on

If City include the buy-back clause, the risk far outweighs the rewards when other players are available on the market.

McAtee looks like a future star and he’s wanted by a host of clubs this summer, including Everton and Leeds United.

Forest have seen a bid rejected for McAtee and it’s likely that something closer to £30 million would be accepted by City.

However, this clause is far from ideal and would see the Citizens hold the aces when it came to the future of McAtee further down the line.

The England under-21 player is far from the finished article and given what it would cost to buy him, perhaps a more tried and tested option would be more ideal.