Manchester City ready to walk away from £120m Elliot Anderson deal over add-ons dispute

Manchester City are prepared to abandon their pursuit of Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson after the two clubs reached an impasse over the structure of a deal worth up to £120m, according to reports from The Mirror and The Guardian.

Forest have already rejected two bids from City for the 23-year-old. The Mirror reports City’s latest offer as a guaranteed £100m plus £20m in add-ons, while The Guardian places the figures at £106m guaranteed with £16m in add-ons. Either way, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has made clear he wants the full amount paid upfront rather than contingent on performance-related clauses.

Marinakis is said to be using the £125m Newcastle received from Liverpool for Alexander Isak last summer as his benchmark, arguing Anderson’s value is at least comparable. City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak, however, is reportedly unwilling to match those terms, with the club’s position being that Anderson has yet to prove himself at the very highest level and that the add-on structure is therefore justified.

The breakdown would represent a significant blow to a deal that, at its reported ceiling, would make Anderson the most expensive English player in football history. City moved for the former Newcastle United academy product to bolster their midfield following Bernardo Silva’s departure, with Anderson’s all-round ability and set-piece delivery identified as key attributes.

Despite the transfer uncertainty, Anderson appears to be in good spirits ahead of the World Cup. England manager Thomas Tuchel said his assistant had spoken with the player and that the attention surrounding the move seemed to be motivating rather than unsettling him. “It should push him because it’s proof of what he’s capable to do and at what level he can perform,” Tuchel said. “At the moment it seems like a push for him.”

Anderson is expected to feature prominently alongside Declan Rice in England’s midfield, with the Three Lions opening their World Cup Group L campaign against Croatia on Wednesday.