Over the past few years, Chelsea have made it a habit to sign players who have come through the Manchester City academy setup. The results have been mixed so far. Cole Palmer has turned out to be an absolute superstar. He might be going through injury problems at the moment, but on top of his game, he is one of the best players on the planet.
At the same time, there have been plenty of failures. Romeo Lavia is a serious talent. But just can't stay fit. Tosin Adarabioyo is not good enough to be a starting centre-back for Chelsea. Both Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens have failed to make a positive impression since their summer arrivals as well.
So, there has been a grand success but plenty of failures as well. That won't stop Chelsea from trying to sign Manchester City academy graduates, though. In fact, they already have a pathway in place.
As reported by Nizaar Kinsella, the interest in Nottingham Forest midfielder James McAtee is for a loan move to Strasbourg rather than joining Chelsea. He has worked with many in the BlueCo project before.
Chelsea already have plan to sign former Manchester City player
McAtee scored 7 goals in 27 appearances for Manchester City last season. And that was enough to convince Nottingham Forest to sign him for a £30 million fee last summer.
Since joining Nottingham Forest, McAtee has barely featured though. Things have not gone according to expectations and now, it looks like another move could be on the cards.
The immediate plan on the part of BlueCo would be for McAtee to head on loan to Strasbourg. But you can rest assured that if it works out, they will want him at Chelsea soon enough. Now, it remains to be seen if a move materialises or not.