Nottingham Forest target James McAtee

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James McAtee’s opportunities at Man City have been few and far between - Getty Images/Simon Stacpoole

Manchester City midfielder James McAtee has emerged as a target for Nottingham Forest and Bayer Leverkusen if Pep Guardiola presses ahead with moves for Morgan Gibbs-White or Florian Wirtz.

City have identified Gibbs-White and Leverkusen’s Wirtz as options to replace the departing Kevin De Bruyne this summer, but it seems unlikely the club would move for both attacking midfielders.

McAtee, 22, faces an uncertain future at the Etihad Stadium and both Forest and Leverkusen are understood to hold strong interest if Gibbs-White and Wirtz leave their respective clubs. Manchester United, Newcastle and AC Milan are also believed to be among a number of other clubs monitoring developments around McAtee.

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Morgan Gibbs-White’s performances for Forest this season have caught the eye of top European clubs - Getty Images/Glyn Kirk

The England Under-21 midfielder will enter the final year of his contract this summer and wants regular playing time next season.

Although he started in City’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Tuesday night in what was a significant boost to their hopes of securing Champions League qualification, it was only his second league start of the campaign and he has largely been overlooked by manager Pep Guardiola.

Leverkusen’s bid to loan McAtee in January with the option of a permanent £25 million transfer this summer was rebuffed by City. The Bundesliga club, who are keen admirers of McAtee, would like to keep Wirtz but a huge offer for the £100 million-rated Germany international could prove difficult to resist.

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Florian Wirtz is considered one of world football’s most-exciting talents - AP Photo/Martin Meissner

Forest, similarly, have a long standing interest in the player, which could be ramped up were Gibbs-White to move on.

Nuno Espirito Santo will be looking to significantly bolster his squad in the event Forest secured Champions League qualification.

McAtee is waiting to discover if he will be clear to play for England at this summer’s European Under-21 Championships given the tournament clashes with City’s involvement in the Fifa Club World Cup in the US.

City lavished £180 million on four new signings in January but are expected to spend heavily again in the summer. In addition to De Bruyne, Kyle Walker – who joined AC Milan on loan in January – is expected to depart. City have triggered the one-year extension in Ilkay Gundogan’s contract but there are doubts over the futures of a number of other ageing players.

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