Nottingham Forest wants to complete a double blow of Manchester City Academy talents by landing Rico Lewis alongside James McATEE.
A switch for McATee has been agreed, with the total package worth £ 30 million, and Daily Mail Sport understands that Forest had hoped to close both players in one deal with City.
But the potential signing of Lewis now seems to be a separate transfer. It is thought that the versatile English international is appreciated on more than £ 30 million.
Lewis appeared 44 performances in all competitions under Pep Guardiola previous term – and is six shy of a century matches for the club – but fell at the back of Matheus Nunes in the pecking order.
City wanted to bind the young person to a new deal and marked those negotiations as a priority that entered the summer, but did not succeed in completing the conditions.
It is thought that they are open to allow Lewis when the right offer came in – a position that they have also taken on Spurs -Target Savinho and Ederson in the midst of interest in the goalkeeper from Galatasaray.
City has inserted a sale and repurchase clause in the Forest deal for McATee, which only started three Premier League, in the past term before he led England to the European Glory championship under the 21-year-old.
Lewis would also recommend comparable clauses, with City who now uses more often after the success of Cole Palmer in Chelsea.
Were Lewis to leave, Guardiola would be left with only five home -grown players. That teenage Sverre Nypan goes on loan to Middlesbrough instead of suggesting that City is looking at the midfielder who completes three years in England before his 21st birthday and then register him as Inlands.