Elliot Anderson 'agreement in principle' sets up record Man City transfer

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Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

Elliot Anderson has reached an agreement to sign for Manchester City, but there is one vital step that still needs to be completed for the Nottingham Forest midfielder to complete his transfer to the Etihad Stadium.

City have been hot favourites to sign Anderson for several weeks, despite facing stern competition from Manchester United, who had made him their dream midfield target.

But according to transfer insider Nicolo Schira, a deal between Anderson and City is done, with negotiations now to step up between the Premier League runners-up and Forest.

He reports: “Agreement in principle between Manchester City and Elliot Anderson for a contract until 2031. Man City are now working to reach an agreement with Nottingham Forest to sign the midfielder.”

Forest want record fee

Forest are expected to demand a transfer fee of over €115 million (£100m) for Anderson, with some reports going so far as to say that they will ask for as much as €145m (£125m) for the England international.

He could potentially become Man City's record signing, with that mark held by Jack Grealish at €117.5m, while he will smash Forest's record sale of €64m, which they achieved last summer when Anthony Elanga moved to Newcastle.

The 23-year-old’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV), which is based on hundreds of in-game data points as well as thousands of historical deals, is €57.7m – way below the figure the Premier League side wants. Indeed, it is primarily this valuation that seems to have warded off United.

Forest manager Vitor Pereira has been tight-lipped on the possibility of a deal, explaining: “The market is the market and everything can happen. What I can say to you is that the club wants to keep him playing for us, for sure.

“The club wants to keep almost all the players because this is a very good group with quality and character and we have a very good base for next season.”

Man Utd vs Man City: Is Anderson making the right call?

When it comes to picking between Man Utd and Man City, there’s not much to choose between the clubs from Anderson’s perspective. At least, that’s the opinion of data analytics firm SciSports, whose Career Advice tool has analysed his best options based on a wide variety of factors including development, pitch time, playing style and formation.

United are given a Club Fit score of 67, whereas City score 66.

The strengths and weaknesses of the two clubs are very different, with far more game time likely to be on offer at Old Trafford, but better development opportunities at their neighbours.

However, this figure should be taken with a pinch of salt given that Pep Guardiola is leaving the Etihad at the end of the season, and a new manager – most likely Enzo Maresca – will be put in charge.

What the transfer insiders are saying

Anderson's transfer is one that has generated a huge amount of interest in recent months, with transfer insiders agreeing that a move is likely but warning City that Forest will not be easy to do a deal with.

David Ornstein to NBC Sports (17 May): “Nottingham Forest intend to keep hold of all of their key players this summer as things stand, we'll have to see how that develops.”

Ben Jacobs to GiveMeSport (16 May): “Manchester United will start now to find out the price, because the thing that's moved with Elliot Anderson is the ability to go to Nottingham Forest, which wasn't the case when they were still in Europe or before they had secured their Premier League safety.

“So although Elliot Anderson is not agitating or desperate to have a new club before the World Cup, now is the right time to go to Nottingham Forest.”

Fabrizio Romano (19 April): “Manchester City have already started very advanced conversations with the player’s camp. So City are pushing to sign Elliott Anderson.

“There are very good talks with the player side, but still nothing done and nothing completed. Club to club with Nottingham Forest, the situation is not even close yet because negotiations will start later. Forest want a record, a really important fee for the midfielder.

“Manchester United remain in the race too. They are not giving up. They know City started their plan a long time ago, but until the deal is done, United want to be there. They want to try. And they believe that the chance to offer Champions League football could be important in trying to get closer to City in this race.”