Manchester City have agreed a deal worth £130m with Nottingham Forest to sign England midfielder Elliot Anderson. The fee is expected to set a new British record, surpassing the £125m Liverpool paid Newcastle for Alexander Isak last summer.
The 23-year-old is anticipated to undergo a medical examination in the United States, where he is currently representing England at the World Cup, within the next 24 hours. Anderson has established himself as a regular in Thomas Tuchel’s national side, earning 11 caps and starting the opening matches against Croatia and Ghana.
City beat United to signature
Anderson has consistently favoured a move to the Etihad Stadium over Manchester United, who had also registered interest in securing his signature. City identified the midfielder as a priority target this window and persisted after having two earlier bids rejected by Forest.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis had maintained that any departure would require a fee exceeding the previous British transfer record. Anderson has spent two seasons at the City Ground since joining from Newcastle United for £35m, helping the club secure seventh place in the Premier League and reach the Europa League semi-finals.
Forest eye Bergvall as replacement
Nottingham Forest are already exploring options to fill the void left by Anderson’s impending exit. The club have held discussions with Tottenham Hotspur regarding Sweden international Lucas Bergvall, valuing the midfielder at £45m.
Bergvall is understood to be keen on leaving Tottenham, though Forest anticipate competition from other suitors for his signature. The potential arrival would mark a significant reshuffle in Forest’s midfield as they prepare for European competition.
Magpies miss out on windfall
Anderson’s departure from Forest marks the second time he has commanded a substantial fee within two years. His previous transfer to Nottingham was hastily arranged to help Newcastle satisfy Premier League profitability and sustainability regulations, with goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos moving to St James’ Park as part of the exchange.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe recently described Anderson’s sale to Forest as “probably the most reluctant transfer I’ll ever do,” adding: “We knew that would be a very, very painful transfer, one that we had to do. We had no choice, but we knew the quality of the player.” Anderson scored against his former club in his final appearance for Forest last month.
Despite nurturing the player through their academy and benefiting from his development during a loan spell at Bristol Rovers, Newcastle will not receive any portion of the £130m fee due to the structure of the previous deal, which valued Anderson at £15m and Vlachodimos at £20m.