Forest Awaits £115 Million for Anderson: City's First Bid Rejected

Manchester City's first major transfer move in the Enzo Maresca era hit a hard obstacle. According to news conveyed by Telegraph reporter, Forest rejected the opening bid from Manchester City for Elliot Anderson. According to news also confirmed by The Athletic and Sky Sports reporters David Ornstein and Laurie Whitwell, Forest demands a fee similar to the £115 million package Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo in 2023 for the 23-year-old English midfielder. According to ESPN's transmission, Forest's actual expectation level is around £120 million (about $161 million). City's opening bid was at the £80 million (about $107 million) level; this figure is considered seriously low in the Premier League's elite midfielder era.

The fact that Elliot Anderson carries the statistic of being the central midfielder with the most ball touches in the Premier League (3,300 touches) during the 2025-26 season explains why the demand is so high. Forest had completed the season without a guarantee of participating in European cups; however, the Marinakis management preferred to show Anderson as a star transfer. As the English midfielder is contracted with Forest until 2029, the club is in a strong position at the negotiation table. Anderson is also in England's squad for the 2026 World Cup under Tuchel — this also shows the potential for the price to go even higher.

On the Manchester City side, things are moving fast. Enzo Maresca, signed on May 26 with a 3-year contract to replace Pep Guardiola, intends to make a quick start to the summer transfer period together with sporting director Hugo Viana. According to Romano's transmission, Anderson is at the top of Maresca's wishlist and City has been the favourite for the transfer since March. However, the departure of important names such as Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Ederson created both financial pressure and the necessity of squad renewal. It is also reported that an informal meeting on the matter was held between City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis after the UEFA final.

On the Manchester United side, the picture tells a different story. According to The Athletic's transmission, United has long been interested in Anderson but does not consider making a bid over the price Forest demands. According to BBC Sport news, United is lagging behind City in the Anderson race. According to the Mirror's transmission, Manchester United has clarified that they cannot afford a fee over €115 million and has withdrawn from the transfer race. Instead, the Old Trafford management added Ederson from Atalanta to their squad for £34 million — as a more reasonable budget alternative. Still, in Romano's news, United was described as "calling and calling" and no withdrawal was indicated.

Anderson's value reflects the benchmarks in the Premier League's modern elite midfielder market: references like Caicedo (£115M from Brighton to Chelsea, 2023), Enzo Fernandez and Declan Rice (total £105M from West Ham to Arsenal, 2023) support Forest's demand well. This price range has now become standard for a midfielder profile that prevents ball loss and constructs the game. Anderson made a similar explosion at Forest after leaving St James' Park in summer 2024 — he was selected to the England national team again and quickly entered among the Premier League's best. The Forest side wants to complete the sale with the highest bid between June and July; however, Maresca's desire to rebuild the midfield core makes it likely that City will return with new and higher bids.

As Forest management does not want to sell Anderson too cheaply, the value of the 23-year-old midfielder could rise even more after the World Cup. The performance England under Tuchel will show in North America from June 11 will directly affect Anderson's market value. It is said that City intends to finish the transfer before the World Cup — this also strengthens the possibility of a second bid being made within the next 7-10 days. It is becoming clear that the Premier League's first major midfielder transfer in the 2026 summer transfer market will be a journey from Forest to the Etihad; however, how the negotiation table will end will be the most followed headline of the coming weeks.

Source: Daily Telegraph, The Athletic (David Ornstein, Laurie Whitwell), Fabrizio Romano.

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