James McAtee Attracts Interest From Rangers And More Than Five Other Clubs

Manchester City's highly-rated attacking midfield prospect James McAtee is attracting widespread interest this summer.

The 19 year-old City Football Academy graduate took the Premier League 2 division by storm last season, with impressive performances across the field and in front of goal.

By the end of the campaign, James McAtee had racked up a total of 23 appearances across the league, scoring a staggering total of 18 goals accompanied by a further seven assists.

It subsequently comes as no surprise to understand that the next steps in the players development are being analysed carefully by those in charge at the Etihad Stadium.

While some are calling for the player to now move into the senior game and earn more minutes, there are others who are recalling the development path taken by Phil Foden.

Manchester City's talented number 47 was kept on the fringes of Pep Guardiola's first team for several months, training with the squad before gradually increasing his involvement over time.

While club officials continue to weigh up James McAtee's options alongside the player's representatives, a queue of clubs have lined themselves up in anticipation of a loan move being given the green light for the forthcoming season.

According to a new report from the Scottish Sun, Rangers have become the latest club to show an interest in taking the teenager on loan for next season.

It is claimed that while the Scottish side face strong competition for the player, they hope to hijack the various moves and persuade Pep Guardiola that the player would benefit more from a stint in Glasgow.

The report references Rangers' European journey last season, as it states that along with the possibility of Champions League football in the new season, they hope that Manchester City will have a change of heart in favour of Ibrox.

In regards to the competition that Rangers will face, it is stated that at present, Huddersfield Town are the frontrunners to secure James McAtee's signature on loan for the new season.

Leeds United and Brighton & Hove Albion are the two Premier League clubs reportedly holding an interest, while Swansea and a number of other Championship sides are also keen.

While the pursuit of the player is hot, there is of course the strong possibility that the player does remain at the club into the new season.

Elsewhere, Manchester City have been undergoing a major overhaul of their academy prospects in recent days.

The likes of Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Gavin Bazunu have left the club on loans and permanent deals respectively, while the likes of Romeo Lavia and Samuel Edozie are expected to leave on full-time moves.

For the first-team, Kalvin Phillips is edging closer to completing an initial £42 million move from Leeds United in a deal that should be officially announced by the club in the coming days.