West Ham plotting Man City raid of ‘next David Silva’ amid fear of losing top star

West Ham are reportedly keen on signing James McAtee from Manchester City, amid interest in their own midfielder star Lucas Paqueta, including from City themselves.

McAtee is yet to fully break through in City colours. He has played sparingly before and since loan spells with Sheffield United, where he spent 2022/23 in the Championship, and 2023/24 in the Premier League.

McAtee’s first proper contribution for City came this season, when he scored in a 4-0 Champions League victory over Slovan Bratislava.

But there is a chance his time at the Etihad is cut short, with a January move to West Ham potentially on the cards.

The Sun reports McAtee will be the Hammers’ top target in the winter, amid the fear of losing fellow attacking-midfielder Paqueta.

The Brazilian has been the subject of interest from various sides, with City themselves among them.

It is believed if they are to go after Paqueta, it will be a straight deal, rather than a swap for McAtee. As such, the report suggests the Hammers have £20million put aside for the potential winter snare of ‘the Salford Silva’, a name given due to his likeness to former City star David Silva.

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Paqueta wanted by various sides

It is believed that Paqueta is wanted by Botafogo, in his native Brazil.

There also seemingly remains interest from City, who were said to be tracking him in the summer after identifying his talents prior to then.

TEAMalk also revealed in the summer that Al-Nassr had contacted Paqueta in hopes of completing a deal, while Flamengo were also keen on him.

It was believed that West Ham were keen on keeping him at the club, but there is now wariness that he could move on.

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The Hammers are also considering the signing of a former Chelsea star, with Christian Pulisic, currently at AC Milan, said to be firmly on their radar.

Stars within the Premier League are also being courted by West Ham, with Brighton’s Tariq Lamptey in view, though Tottenham are also after him.

Meanwhile, Spurs and West Ham could do battle for another player, with Greek striker Stefanos Tzimas said to be of interest to both. It’s believed Nurnberg will exercise their option to buy him after his current loan spell, and sell to the Premier League for profit.

It has also been suggested that Tim Steidten could move on whether or not he’s hired by Arsenal, as the potential sacking of Julen Lopetegui could also spell the end for the director, who hired him.

McAtee could follow Palmer path

Though they have gone down different routes to this point, McAtee could follow the same path as former City academy team-mate Cole Palmer.

Both comfortable on the ball and able to play in a variety of positions – attacking-midfield the main one – both have shown an ability to control games from a young age, with the City stamp evident in their play.

McAtee showed that with Sheffield United, scoring and assisting 22 goals in all in 75 games. If he moves on to another Premier League side, having been given little chance at City – six games this season – he could star as Palmer did immediately.

In his final season with the Citizens, the now-Chelsea man played 25 games, with most from the bench, and therefore had little opportunity to impress.

In his first season with Chelsea, Palmer bagged 25 goals and 15 assists, immediately exploding into life, as it seems clear McAtee could, too.