Man Utd 'eyeing Man City raid' for star Pep Guardiola is a big admirer of

Manchester United are reportedly keeping a close eye on City's rising star James McAtee, as the 22-year-old approaches the final year of his contract. Despite Pep Guardiola's desire to retain him, he is said to be contemplating his future at the Etihad.

The gifted midfielder has made 13 appearances in the Premier League this season, but could face increased competition for a starting spot if City pursue their interest in Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz or Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White.

Both Wirtz and Gibbs-White are believed to be on City's radar following the announcement that club icon Kevin De Bruyne will depart the Etihad at the end of the current campaign. While McAtee might have hoped to fill the void left by the Belgian, it appears City are keen to bring in an established replacement who can immediately fit into Guardiola's plans.

McAtee, an England under-21 international, was handed only his second league start of the season on Tuesday, helping City edge closer to Champions League qualification with a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at home. Despite limited game time, his performances have not gone unnoticed by some of Europe's top clubs.

As per the , both Leverkusen and Forest would consider McAtee as a potential replacement for their respective midfielders. Alongside United, Newcastle and AC Milan are also said to be monitoring his situation closely.

Guardiola recently admitted that McAtee's future is uncertain with his contract expiring in the summer of 2026.

"For the age, I'd like him to stay," Guardiola said when discussing McAtee's prospects. "But I understand the players want more minutes. I would like him to stay, he's a player for the academy, he knows the patterns. He's a lovely person and trained really good. He can play different positions but I don't know how the squad will be and we will see."

Guardiola also addressed McAtee's lack of minutes. "I didn't allow him to play minutes so I cannot ask anything from the players who don't play a lot of minutes. They could do better? No," Guardiola remarked.

"Macca has this quality, the ability to create. He is there. The game worked better against Palace, you create chances. Macca close to the box is quite similar to Phil. They are there, a sense. It's difficult to train, to make that movement because the ball is coming. If he plays minutes he will score."