Elliot Anderson transfer to Man City in advanced state after £121m bid rejected

Manchester City are closing in on the signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, talkSPORT understands.

Anderson is City’s top midfield target, and they saw two bids rejected before the World Cup, the highest of which totalled £121million.

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Although City’s latest offer of £106m plus £15m in add-ons was turned down by Forest, Anderson has made it clear he wants a move to the Etihad Stadium.

Elliot Anderson to Man City latest

City have held optimism since May that they can finalise a fee with Forest despite the high asking price.

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has been handling negotiations personally and kept others at the club in the dark, including manager Vitor Pereira.

Forest have been seeking a British transfer record fee, eclipsing the £125m Liverpool paid for Alexander Isak.

talkSPORT previously reported that it remains to be seen whether City go that high, but there is an expectation that the parties will come to an agreement after Anderson informed both City and Forest that he wants to join.

Although Thomas Tuchel is content for players to undergo medicals on international duty with England, talkSPORT understands Forest could delay formalisation on any deal until July, since it’s more preferable for the club to declare such a sale on the next financial year.

Meanwhile, Manchester United are currently focused on West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes despite viewing Anderson as a dream target.

United don’t want to enter into a bidding war without player buy-in, and have instead made relegated Fernandes their top priority.

The Red Devils United are already closing in on a deal to sign Atalanta’s Ederson, with a £38.8million move expected imminently.

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As for Anderson, talkSPORT understands that another City bid could take place before England’s next game.

The 23-year-old played the full 90 minutes for the Three Lions in their World Cup opener as Tuchel’s side ran out 4-2 winners.

England are next in action against Ghana on Tuesday, live on talkSPORT.

Anderson’s future has been the main talking point of the summer window following a season in which he scored four goals and registered as many assists in 38 matches for Forest.

Anderson has enjoyed a meteoric rise since arriving at the City Ground from Newcastle in the summer of 2024 for a fee of £35m.

In fact, his arrival effectively went down as just £15m on the balance sheet, with Odysseas Vlachodimos also moving in the opposite direction for £20m so that Eddie Howe’s men could comply with PSR.

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Only 30 months before that, Anderson was sealing a loan move from his boyhood Magpies to Bristol Rovers, who were 12th in League Two.

His expected triple-figure switch to the Etihad four years on is now thought to be linked to doubts over Rodri’s future amid interest from Real Madrid.

City have already lost one key midfield star to the Bernabeu, with Bernardo Silva joining on a free transfer.