Manchester City close in on Elliot Anderson as United baulk at £100m fee

Manchester City are growing increasingly confident of signing Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson this summer after Manchester United pulled out of the race, unwilling to meet the £100 million valuation placed on the 23-year-old England international.

United manager Michael Carrick had identified Anderson as a priority target, but the club’s hierarchy declined to sanction a fee of that size, leaving City with a clear run at one of the Premier League’s standout midfielders of the 2024/25 season. Incoming City head coach Enzo Maresca, set to replace the departing Pep Guardiola at the Etihad, has already indicated his approval of the potential signing.

Anderson’s primary motivation for leaving the City Ground is the chance to compete in the Champions League. The midfielder featured twice in the competition for Newcastle during the 2023/24 season and has made no secret of wanting to return to that stage. “I’m desperate to be there again,” he said in April 2025. “It was a really proud moment playing in the Champions League and to be honest I never thought I’d be playing in my first season away from Newcastle.”

Forest had threatened a top-four finish this season but ultimately secured Europa League qualification, progressing to the semi-finals. City, by contrast, have again secured their place among Europe’s elite, giving them a significant advantage in any transfer conversation with Anderson.

Guardiola, who confirmed his exit after City’s final-day defeat to Aston Villa, expressed confidence that the club would continue to thrive under new leadership. “The club will support you unconditionally,” he said of his message to his successor, adding: “I know the players here — they will do it.”

Anderson’s potential arrival would represent one of the more significant midfield acquisitions of the summer window and a statement of intent from Maresca as he begins reshaping a City squad in transition.