Man City weigh walking away from £120m Anderson bid as Forest hold firm on full fee

Manchester City are weighing whether to abandon their pursuit of Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson after a second bid — worth £100m plus £20m in add-ons — was rejected, with Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis insisting on the full fee being paid upfront.

City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak is unwilling to enter a bidding war for the 23-year-old, believing the current offer is fair for a player who has yet to feature in the Champions League. Al-Mubarak has previously walked away from protracted negotiations — most notably when Liverpool signed Virgil van Dijk in 2018 — and is reportedly prepared to do so again if he feels the club is being held to ransom.

Should the deal go through at the proposed £120m valuation, Anderson would become the most expensive English player in history, surpassing Jude Bellingham’s £115m move to Real Madrid and Declan Rice’s £105m transfer to Arsenal.

Anderson joined Forest from Newcastle United for £35m in 2024 and has since established himself as one of the standout young midfielders in English football. City have been tracking him for several months, and despite the impasse, remain keen — provided the terms suit them. Anderson himself has reportedly made clear he favours a move to the Etihad over approaches from Manchester United and Chelsea.

Incoming City manager Enzo Maresca is eager to strengthen his midfield following Bernardo Silva’s departure, and Anderson is also seen as a long-term successor to Rodri, who has been linked with a return to Spain.

Anderson is currently on international duty with England at the World Cup and is in line to start against Croatia next week. England manager Thomas Tuchel played down any concerns about the transfer speculation affecting his player, speaking after the 3-0 win over Costa Rica.

“He’s a top player — there’s nothing more to say, he’s the full package,” Tuchel said. “He seems not affected. It was an amazing performance against Costa Rica, he’s fine. It should push him because it’s proof of what he’s capable of and what level he can perform.”

Tuchel added that he had no intention of raising the transfer situation directly with Anderson, noting that his assistant had already spoken with the player and that he expected nothing to change overnight regardless of the outcome.