Sunderland want James McAtee agreement as early January transfer details emerge
Sunderland are already targeting new attacking signings in January, with Nottingham Forest’s James McAtee an option.
Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland have had a tremendous campaign so far in the Premier League, and have the chance to go as high as fifth in the table with a win over Leeds on Sunday.
The Black Cats have shown a mix of defensive solidarity as well as an attacking threat in matches, as Le Bris continues to shake up his winning formulas.
Sunderland have already been linked with several attackers that could be brought to the Stadium of Light in January, as they look to build on this positive start.
But McAtee is one of the first concrete names to be revealed.
Sunderland target James McAtee amid talk of loan move
Sunderland spent over £150m in the summer and may look to the loan market to improve Le Bris’ squad this time around.
Attack is an area which may draw opinion from the Mackem supporters, as McAtee could be a useful signing who may be the missing piece.
The Englishman joined Forest from Manchester City earlier this year in a deal worth £30m, but the former Sheffield United star is still waiting for his breakthrough under Sean Dyche.
| Team | Games | Goals | Assists |
| Manchester City | 34 | 7 | 0 |
| Sheffield United | 75 | 14 | 9 |
According to journalist Simon Jones in the Mail on Sunday’s print edition, Sunderland are exploring the possibility of taking McAtee on loan.
Sean Dyche still thinks highly of McAtee, who is also attracting interest from Leeds, Bournemouth and Chelsea.
The versatile forward could offer Le Bris a new threat from multiple positions, and McAtee’s qualities are hard to ignore despite his underwhelming time at Forest so far.
Who could McAtee replace at Sunderland?
McAtee can play on either the right wing or from a central attacking position. On the odd occasion, the 23-year-old has played a deep midfield role, but it’s clear that he excels in forward areas.
This does mean that Sunderland’s rather large squad size may need to be cut down should the Forest man arrive on loan in January.
Chris Rigg is currently gaining more minutes than usual in the Premier League due to Le Bris being without multiple players who are representing their countries at the African Cup of Nations.
But Rigg’s game time may be cut short once the AFCON stars return to Tyne and Wear, as McAtee’s proposed arrival will only make things more complicated for the teenager.
A loan move has always seemed sensible for Rigg this season, but who knows? Le Bris may get even more out of the youngster from now until the end of the January transfer window.
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