Manchester City are not willing to sell James McAtee unless they receive a fee which is close to the £42.5m figure that Chelsea paid for Cole Palmer, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

The talkSPORT reporter has confirmed that Nottingham Forest have had a £25m bid rejected for McAtee, which is considerably below the amount the Cityzens want for the player.

It is believed that manager Pep Guardiola is still open to keeping McAtee, but there is a feeling that the midfielder is hoping to leave the Etihad in order to get more game time.

The club is not expected to stand in the 22-year-old’s way if he asks to go. However, they are keen to ensure they get a fee which is commensurate with his value.

McAtee has more than one suitor

Forest are by no means the only team interested in securing the player’s services, but it is believed that he has turned down approaches from abroad.

The likes of Eintracht Frankfurt, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund have all been mentioned as potential suitors but it appears that McAtee will only accept a move to another English club.

In addition to Forest, both Everton and West Ham have been linked, although neither is believed to have the necessary funds to match City’s reported price tag.

Man City could sanction the departures of other players

Jack Grealish remains on the market but, so far, no club has made a formal bid for the player. Again, the likes of Everton and West Ham would be keen on taking the 29-year-old but they can only afford a loan. Napoli are the only team likely to have the means to take him on a permanent basis.

Stefan Ortega could also depart following the arrival of James Trafford from Burnley, while the Cityzens are still hoping to offload Kalvin Phillips.

In other news, a reliable journalist has confirmed Manchester City and Manchester United are “interested” in a Champions League winning goalkeeper