Manchester City are in pole position to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson this summer, with well-placed sources telling Sky Sports News that the move increasingly looks destined for the Etihad.
Anderson, 23, joined Nottingham Forest from Newcastle United in July 2024 for £35m and is contracted at the City Ground until June 2029. Since that move he has scored 11 goals and made 29 Premier League appearances, form that has attracted interest from clubs including Manchester United and Arsenal as City monitor the market closely.
The weight behind the story is both financial and tactical. Bernardo Silva will leave Manchester City when his contract expires in June, and the club face uncertainty around the futures of Mateo Kovacic and Nico Gonzalez. That combination has left City looking at midfield reinforcements even as they admire how Anderson has developed since arriving from Newcastle United.
Reports say relations between Manchester City and Nottingham Forest are thought to be excellent, a fact that matters because Anderson’s long contract — running to June 2029 — gives Forest clear negotiating leverage and should push any fee well above the £35m they paid last summer. Yet Sky Sports News says well-placed sources increasingly believe Anderson is destined for the Etihad, a line of reporting that has hardened City’s status as the front-runner.
Context sharpens the stakes. Elliot Anderson has been linked with several Premier League clubs since joining Nottingham Forest, and Manchester City are actively considering midfield changes this summer as they replace Bernardo Silva and cope with uncertainty over two other midfield figures. Nottingham Forest are expected to value Anderson highly because he is under a long-term deal, which complicates any transfer but does not rule one out given the parties’ reportedly good relations.
The tension in this story is timing. It remains to be seen whether a deal can be agreed before or after the World Cup, and that timing will determine both Anderson’s immediate role at the club and his preparation for international duty. Anderson is expected to play a prominent role for Thomas Tuchel and for England at the World Cup, making any mid-season switch — or one completed immediately after the tournament — consequential for his fitness and integration.
Manchester City are also exploring other attacking options, with scouting linked to RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande and Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi, signaling that City have multiple plans should negotiations with Forest stall or become prohibitively expensive. That breadth of interest gives City leverage but also creates a pathway for Anderson only if both clubs agree terms that reflect his contract and Forest’s valuation.
For Anderson himself, the move would be a rapid rise: a 23-year-old England international who left Newcastle for Forest less than a year ago now finds elliot anderson at the centre of the Premier League’s biggest clubs’ thinking. If City land him, they will be buying a player with recent top-flight scoring form and Premier League experience who could be plugged into a midfield reshaped by departures and uncertainty.
The clearest conclusion from the facts is this: with Manchester City in pole position, excellent relations between the clubs and pressing midfield needs at the Etihad, a transfer this summer is more likely than not — but whether it happens before the World Cup will be the deciding factor for how Anderson starts his next season for club and country.
