Burnley are reportedly interested in signing Manchester City winger James McAtee on loan this summer and the youngster could allow Vincent Kompany to ditch Johann Berg Gudmundsson.
Could Burnley sign McAtee?
According to the Daily Mail earlier this month, a number of Premier League sides including Burnley, Leicester City, Brighton and Leeds United are monitoring the 20-year-old after his impressive performances in the second tier helped Sheffield United to promotion this season.
The report claims that Pep Guardiola is keen to assess the England U21 international in pre-season and City are expected to offer him a new deal, but a Premier League loan could well be on the cards for the attacking midfielder.
Kompany has already used his City connections to seal signings such as Arijanet Muric and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, so could return to his old club for another loanee this summer.
Would McAtee be a good signing?
The Englishman's eye-catching displays in Paul Heckingbottom's side last season certainly suggest that he could be a big player for Burnley in the top tier.
In 37 league outings, McAtee would notch nine goals and three assists, earning a solid 6.71 rating from WhoScored despite nearly half of his appearances coming from the bench.
It could prove difficult to prise him away from City as he is clearly a player that Guardiola rates highly after he dubbed him "exceptional" back in 2021.
Considering he has contributed 27 goals and 19 assists in just 52 appearances for the U21s at City, it is easy to see why the Spanish manager wants him to have a big future at the Etihad, but a loan spell with a possession-hungry Burnley side could be perfect for his long-term development.
While it wasn't an easy start to life at Sheffield United for McAtee, he finished the campaign "on fire" – in the words of scout Jacek Kulig – hitting five goals and one assist in the final nine league games, so he could arrive at Turf Moor in confident mood should he join on loan when the transfer window opens.
Kompany already boasts a plethora of attacking talent including Anass Zaroury, Manuel Benson and Gudmundsson but the Icelandic winger's advanced age and lack of goal contributions in the last campaign suggest that he could be the one to lose out should McAtee join the club.
The 32-year-old mustered just four goals and six assists in 37 league appearances, with his 6.76 average rating from WhoScored ranking him as the 13th-best performer in Kompany's squad.
The Belgian boss surely wants to build a young squad capable of competing in the Premier League and while Gudmundsson provides experience, he could be one who has to make way to ensure that Burnley can continue to progress and develop their young talents.