Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson might be the most expensive British player ever before the summer is over. Manchester City came in with an offer around $134 million. Forest said no. They want $157 million, which would smash the current British transfer record. And that’s just the start of what could be a very busy chain reaction.
According to reports out of Italy, Anderson’s move—if it happens—is the first domino. Forest already has a replacement in mind. They’re looking at Inter Milan’s Davide Frattesi, who would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $33 million. Frattesi is an Italy international who has been solid for Inter but isn’t irreplaceable. And Inter knows that.
The Serie A champions are willing to sell Frattesi. Why? Because they need money to chase their own target. And that target is Liverpool’s Curtis Jones.
Inter has made no secret of their interest in Jones. They’ve gone public with it. Jones has only one year left on his contract at Anfield, and he’s reportedly open to leaving. He wants a bigger role than the one he currently has under Arne Slot. Earlier this month, his Liverpool teammate Federico Chiesa told reporters that Jones had asked him about what it’s like to play in Italy. That’s about as direct a hint as you can get without submitting a transfer request.
So the logic here is pretty straightforward. City needs a midfielder. They want Anderson. Forest will only sell if they can replace him, and they want Frattesi. Inter will only let Frattesi go if they can sign Jones. Liverpool might be willing to move Jones rather than lose him for free next summer.
None of this is done yet. Negotiations are still happening. City is expected to come back with a better offer after that first bid got turned down. Forest is holding firm at that record number, and they have every right to. Anderson is 23, English, and already has a Premier League winner’s medal from his time at Newcastle before the move to Forest. He’s exactly the kind of player Pep Guardiola likes to mold into something weirder and more specific.
But if City meets Forest’s price, things could move fast. Frattesi to Forest. Jones to Inter. And suddenly three clubs have reshuffled their midfield in one window. That’s the kind of summer that changes the shape of a league.
For now, it’s all dominoes waiting to fall. But the first one is the biggest. And Anderson’s price tag might be the thing that makes everyone else blink first.
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