Manchester City is about to pull off one of the most expensive transfers in British soccer history, and it might happen while the player is on international duty at the World Cup.
Elliot Anderson, the Nottingham Forest midfielder who just turned 23, is the target. According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, City has been working behind the scenes for months and now believes the deal is in its final stages. Anderson is expected to undergo a medical in the United States while representing England at the tournament.
The numbers here are staggering. Forest already turned down a package worth roughly $135 million upfront with another $19 million in add-ons. Owner Evangelos Marinakis wants closer to $165 million. If City meets that figure, it would rank among the top five most expensive deals ever in English football.
Why City is spending this kind of money
The timing makes sense. Bernardo Silva is gone, off to Real Madrid. And incoming manager Enzo Maresca walks into a squad with an aging midfield that needs fresh legs. Anderson fits the profile perfectly — a midfielder who drives forward from deep, creates chances, and has the engine to press for 90 minutes.
He showed exactly why City has been chasing him in England’s 4-2 win over Croatia. Anderson was everywhere, pushing the ball upfield, linking play, and making the kind of runs that open space for others. It wasn’t a subtle performance. It was the kind of game that makes scouts nod and say yeah, that’s the guy.
Tuchel gave the green light
England manager Thomas Tuchel has already signed off on Anderson doing a mid-tournament medical. That’s not nothing. Coaches usually hate distractions during a World Cup run. But Tuchel apparently sees the value in letting this get done now so Anderson walks into City’s preseason in July without any lingering uncertainty.
Anderson wants the move too. That part matters. Sometimes these negotiations drag because the player is lukewarm. That’s not the case here. He’s ready.
City has been here before with big-money midfield signings — Jack Grealish, for example — and the results have been mixed. But Anderson is younger, cheaper (relatively speaking), and plays a different role. Maresca clearly sees him as the anchor of a new-look midfield.
If the medical goes smoothly in the U.S., this could be wrapped up before the World Cup quarterfinals start. That would make Anderson Maresca’s first signing and signal pretty clearly that City isn’t slowing down just because Pep Guardiola’s era is over.
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