Wolverhampton Wanderers 'among clubs waiting on Manchester City midfielder James McAtee'

Despite having guided the West Midlands outfit to Premier League survival last season, Julen Lopetegui has endured a frustrating summer in the transfer market.

Owners Fosun International confirmed last week that they do not intend to make many additions, instead focusing their efforts on ensuring that Wolves comply with all FFP criteria.

That has led to the club missing out on the likes of Bristol City's Alex Scott, who was allegedly one of Lopetegui's priority targets for this period.

Nevertheless, Wolves have also been linked with other players for that position, including McAtee who is back at the Etihad Stadium after a stint on loan at Sheffield United.

Although the England Under-21 international was far from a first-team regular at Bramall Lane, he still contributed nine goals and three assists from 21 starts and 16 substitute outings in the Championship as the Blades won promotion.

With only 18 minutes of Premier League football under his belt, the assumption was that City would jump at the chance of seeing McAtee play top-flight football elsewhere.

However, according to the Daily Mail, City are yet to make a decision over whether to retain the academy graduate's services or allow him to go back out on loan.

McAtee can claim to have enjoyed a productive pre-season at his parent club, accumulating 126 minutes of football in games against Yokohama F. Marinos, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.

He even notched a goal during the fixture with Bayern, yet Pep Guardiola opted to keep the playmaker as an unused substitute during Sunday's Community Shield fixture with Arsenal.

City know that they do not necessarily have to be in a rush to make a final call courtesy of Wolves being rivalled by a wide array of other teams who hold an interest.

Brighton & Hove Albion, Sheffield United, Southampton, Celtic, Real Sociedad and AZ Alkmaar are all said to hold aspirations of signing McAtee, either on loan or a permanent deal.

With just under three years remaining on McAtee's contract, City are in a position where any option is available to them, even a sale with a buy-back clause that has been used on numerous occasions with other prospects.