James McAtee has found it hard to break into the Nottingham Forest side since moving from Manchester City in the summer
Brian Dick Reach Football Correspondent
14:49, 30 Dec 2025
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
James McAtee of Nottingham Forest (Image: Nottingham Forest FC via Getty I)
Speculation surrounding James McAtee’s Nottingham Forest future has intensified amid claims ‘initial talks’ have taken place.
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano who reckons RC Strasbourg ‘are showing interest’ in the former Manchester City youngster and that there have been talks to ‘present the project’.
This is just the latest twist in what could become a transfer window saga with McAtee linked with Leeds United and Chelsea, managed by former City coach Enzo Maresca, only last week.
On Saturday, the Daily Mail claimed Stuttgart, Red Bull Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt are keeping tabs on the midfielder, while Porto and PSV Eindhoven are also ‘admirers’.
Born in Salford, McAtee has come through the Man City youth set-up and made 34 appearances for the club, in a career that also saw him spend two loan spells with Sheffield United.
However, he cut ties in the summer as Forest won the race to sign the 23-year-old for a reported £30million.
Since then, though, he has started just one Premier League match and played only ten times, with Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliott Anderson very much first choices in attacking central areas. The competition for places is no less stiff out wide.
It seems more likely that if McAteer were to leave the City Ground in January, it would be on loan rather than on a permanent basis.
What is best for McAtee’s career? Have your say
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
£49
£35
Sky
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
Every day, the NottinghamshireLive football desk strive to deliver all manner of news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Nottingham Forest content.
Our dedicated reporter Sarah Clapson – who you can follow on X by clicking here – follows Forest home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.
So much happens day to day and sometimes you can struggle to keep on top of the very latest updates as and when they occur – that’s why we have produced a daily newsletter which you can sign up to, for free, and which means you’ll have a round-up of the key stories land in your email inbox. Sign up to the Forest newsletter here.
You can also get all your favourite content from NottinghamshireLive’s Forest team on WhatsApp. Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories in and around the club.
If you prefer reading our Reds stories on your phone, consider downloading the NottinghamshireLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Nottingham Forest as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple here and for Android here.