Elliot Anderson has emerged as the focal point of a Premier League summer transfer fight after Manchester United told their recruitment team they are ready to approach Nottingham Forest, with Manchester City also pushing to sign the 25-year-old.
That is the assessment from reporter Ben Jacobs, who said United will move quickly — targeting at least two midfielders — and will “start now to find out the price for Elliot Anderson,” while warning that “Manchester City are pushing and confident of agreeing terms with the player.” Jacobs added: “So Manchester United are going to move quite quickly on at least two midfielders because Manuel Ugarte could be sold, Casemiro is leaving, and the top priority still remains Elliot Anderson.”
The numbers already being floated make this a headline chase. Nottingham Forest, whose European campaign ended when they were beaten by Aston Villa in the Europa League semi-final last week, have reportedly placed a £100million price tag on Anderson, and other reports have suggested fees upwards of £100million. At the same time, every fact available also stresses that no official price has been quoted to interested clubs yet, and Ben Jacobs said: “The expectation of course is that club to club talks will begin because Elliott Anderson is the top midfield target for Man City and he's the top midfield target for Manchester United.”
The interest is rooted in Anderson’s form and his profile. The 25-year-old has started every Premier League game except one for Nottingham Forest this season, is set to start for England at this summer's World Cup, and has been widely praised by figures across the game. Michael Carrick, speaking at a press conference on Friday ahead of Manchester United’s trip to Nottingham Forest, said: "Yeah, he's done well. I think he's a big part of their team," adding, "I think he offers so much and they've got a really talented team and dangerous team." Carrick also noted: "So they've had a good season to get to the [Europa League] semi-finals and just fall short. But yeah, you can see obviously he is important part of their team."
Thomas Tuchel, who spoke about Anderson in November, has delivered similar praise from the international stage: "Anderson is a key player for us at the moment. He is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League." Tuchel went further: "That's why he is with us and starting for us. He deserves it because he has been nothing but impressive. He has to keep on going now though. He is a very complete and mobile midfielder, and that's what he keeps showing me." He also said: "He is an elite player with the right attitude and a lot of talent. He is fulfilling his role in the best way possible so we are very happy with him."
For Manchester United the calculus is clear and immediate: Casemiro is leaving this summer and the club have planned significant investment to sign a successor. Ben Jacobs framed the timing — and the leverage — plainly: "Manchester United will start now to find out the price, because the thing that's moved with Elliot Anderson is the ability to go to Nottingham Forest, which wasn't the case when they were still in Europe or before they had secured their Premier League safety." In other words, Forest's exit from Europe and their secured Premier League status have shifted the transfer window timetable.
The friction in this story is straightforward. Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is likely to demand a big price for Anderson, and the club have reportedly placed a £100million tag on him. Yet there is no formal price on the table and Anderson himself “is not agitating or desperate to have a new club before the World Cup,” Jacobs said, adding: "So although Elliot Anderson is not agitating or desperate to have a new club before the World Cup, now is the right time to go to Nottingham Forest." That mismatch — a club prepared to sell, a player not pushing to leave, and two powerful suitors ready to begin talks — is what will determine whether the bid becomes a negotiation or a bidding war.
The single unanswered question now is whether Evangelos Marinakis will hold firm on a near-£100million valuation; if he does, the deal risks stalling, but if he is prepared to engage, club-to-club talks are expected to begin and the race for Anderson could be settled before the World Cup squad assembles.
