Revealed: Man City's price tag for U21 star McAtee amid PL, Europe interest

Manchester City's £35million valuation of midfielder James McAtee is proving a stumbling block to a summer departure, a report has claimed.

The England Under 21 star is of interest to several clubs in England and in Europe, including Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund.

The 22-year-old played 27 times for City last season, scoring seven goals in all competitions, and was part of England U21s’ successful defence of their European Championship title this summer.

The previous season, he was on loan at Sheffield United as they were relegated from the top flight.

Earlier this month, Mail Sport reported that City were understood to value their homegrown player closer to £40m - the fee they received from Chelsea for Cole Palmer two years ago.

It has now been claimed by The Telegraph that the valuation is proving to be a headache for the midfielder's suitors but they have not been altogether deterred by the price.

Forest looked set to make the first move for McAtee earlier this month and were weighing up a £25m bid. It comes as the side have lost winger Anthony Elanga to Newcastle for £55m and captain Morgan Gibbs-White is at the centre of a saga involving the club and Tottenham.

The pair were at the heart of Forest’s attacking plans last year and the club have identified possible replacements.

City, meanwhile, are set for a busy end to the transfer window with uncertainty hanging over the future of goalkeepers Ederson and Stefan Ortega.

Pep Guardiola's men have been linked with Burnley stopper James Trafford, whose buy-back option may be activated to bring him back to the Etihad.

The 22-year-old stopper joined City as a 12-year-old and spent eight years on the club's books before joining the Clarets in a deal worth £15million in 2023.

He has since made 73 appearances in two seasons across the Premier League and the Championship.