Forest Close £67.5m Double Swoop for Hutchinson and McAtee

Nottingham Forest have sealed agreements worth a combined £67.5 million to bring Ipswich Town winger Omari Hutchinson and Manchester City midfielder James McAtee to the City Ground, marking one of the most ambitious moves of the summer window.

The deal for 22-year-old McAtee, a player long admired by Forest’s recruitment team, also contains sell-on and buy-back clauses, ensuring City retain a future interest in their academy graduate. McAtee, who made 27 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side last season but started just three Premier League matches, captained England Under-21s to Euro 2025 glory this summer.

Hutchinson, 21, became a primary target after Forest had a £35m bid rejected by Ipswich last weekend. The winger, who joined the Tractor Boys from Chelsea for £20m last summer following a successful loan spell, scored three goals in 31 Premier League appearances last season, but could not prevent Kieran McKenna’s side from relegation. His standout moment came in June’s Under-21 European Championship final, where he netted in extra time against Germany from a McAtee assist.

Forest have also entered advanced talks with Rennes striker Arnaud Kalimuendo, with all three potential signings — Hutchinson, McAtee, and Kalimuendo — set to push the club’s summer spending close to £90m. The club’s need for attacking reinforcements was heightened following the £55m sale of Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United. Swiss winger Dan Ndoye has already arrived from Bologna as part of Steve Cooper’s rebuild.

Brentford were also in the race for Hutchinson, tabling an offer that matched his relegation release clause last month. However, because the proposal was not an upfront cash payment, Ipswich rejected it and the clause expired. The Bees tried again after selling Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United but could not agree on terms, leaving Forest in pole position.

Ipswich, meanwhile, have seen further changes to their squad, with striker Liam Delap joining Chelsea for £30m after scoring 12 goals last season. The Suffolk side began their Championship campaign with a 1-1 draw against Birmingham City.

Stay up to date with the latest football transfer news on Betway Arabia.