Chelsea identify new 2026 transfer target as Maresca eyes surprise reunion

Chelsea have reportedly rekindled their interest in former Manchester City star James McAtee amid his struggles at Nottingham Forest.

The Englishman joined Sean Dyche’s side for a fee of €25.5 million over the summer, however he has only started one Premier League match since his arrival at the City Ground and he has racked up just 82 minutes of action across Forest’s last 14 English top flight fixtures.

Morgan Gibbs-White is firmly ahead of McAtee in the pecking order as things stand and the 23-year-old has already been tipped to leave the club in search of more regular game time.

McAtee was linked with a move to Chelsea back in 2024, but the Blues instead opted to re-sign Joao Felix on a permanent deal from Atletico Madrid, while they also added Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester City.

However, both players have now left Stamford Bridge and after failing to sign Xavi Simons, Morgan Rogers and Fermin Lopez this summer, Chelsea have now once again identified McAtee as a transfer target as they look to find a suitable back-up to Cole Palmer.

James McAtee to Chelsea?

Facundo Buonanotte has struggled since arriving on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, and Chelsea are therefore eager to land a new attacking midfielder next year as they look to fix their current lack of attacking quality.

The aforementioned Rogers continues to be linked with a Stamford Bridge switch, but Chelsea have identified McAtee as a suitable alternative.

In fact, the west London giants are one of several Premier League clubs monitoring McAtee’s situation at Nottingham Forest, with Bournemouth, Fulham, Leeds United and Sunderland also keeping close tabs on his development, as per The Daily Mail.

In addition, it’s reported that Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Porto, PSV, RB Leipzig and Stuttgart are interested in McAtee too.

However, Chelsea may hold a key advantage in the race for his signature, with the 23-year-old having worked with Blues head coach Enzo Maresca during his time at Man City.

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