Newcastle United will have to fight off interest from Bundesliga clubs if they are to firm up their interest in Manchester City's James McAtee.

The Magpies have been linked with a potential move for the forward, with the England Under-21 star an option for the right-side of the forward line. While Jacob Murphy has hit top form in that role in recent weeks, McAtee has been identified as a star of the future and an ideal candidate to link up with Tino Livramento on United's right flank.

He has found gametime limited at Manchester City this season after impressing on loan at Sheffield United, but made the most of his chance in Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie against Salford City. McAtee bagged a 19-minute hat-trick in an 8-0 victory, leaving manager Pep Guardiola purring.

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However, his immediate future remains unclear, with several clubs in Germany keen on a January loan deal. It's expected he will face more first-team challenges despite his FA Cup heroics, with a temporary move on the cards in the coming weeks.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed that Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Mainz and Stuttgart were all interested in bringing the 22-year-old to the Bundesliga. Whether Man City would be open to a loan move to Newcastle is up for debate, with the potential of a loan-to-buy deal.

Guardiola is under no doubt about his ability, but with Man City facing the same financial restrictions as the rest of the Premier League, they may have to sell fringe players in order to keep investing in the first-team squad. However, the City boss is convinved he can get even better after the Salford showing.

“He’s a special, talented player,” Guardiola said of McAtee following his FA Cup hat-trick. “The generation of Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, Liam Delap, Romeo Lavia, Jadon Sancho. All the players that play really well in the Premier League.

“He was a main player there and captain and a City fan. I’m not going to deny how happy I am. It’s not easy to score a hat-trick but he can play better. First half was not his best and he has to do that.

“But he’s an exceptional guy and he has special talent. When he plays close to the opposition, he has an incredible sense of goal. His work ethic is unbelievable and he is aggressive. Today was not easy. He was man marked in the middle. I’m really pleased for him.”

Newcastle have been linked with several right-sided players in the January transfer window, although Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo and Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo could be out of their current price range. Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was another on their radar, but now appears close to a move to PSG.