Manchester United are ready to open direct talks with Nottingham Forest over Elliot Anderson as they accelerate a summer midfield rebuild and try to beat Manchester City to the 23-year-old England international. United want two high-profile central midfield signings, with Casemiro leaving via free agency and Manuel Ugarte transfer-listed, and Anderson has emerged as the club’s top target.
The move puts a price on one of the summer’s most closely watched transfers. Forest believe Anderson is worth more than £100m, a fee that would make him United’s record signing and top the £89.3m they paid Juventus to bring Paul Pogba back to Old Trafford in 2016. Reports in April and earlier in May said City were leading the race, and they have since installed Anderson as their primary target as well.
Ben Jacobs said United are now preparing to find out exactly what Forest want, with the club’s ability to approach the Midlands side changing after they secured Premier League safety. He said United plan to move quickly, know City are pushing hard and are confident of agreeing terms with the player, and believe their Champions League status leaves them ready to put real money into the middle of the pitch.
“So Manchester United are going to move quite quickly on at least two midfielders because Manuel Ugarte could be sold, Casemiro is leaving, and the top priority still remains Elliot Anderson,” Jacobs said. He added that United will “start now to find out the price,” because Forest were in a different negotiating position before safety was secured.
The timing matters because Anderson is not forcing the issue. Jacobs said the midfielder is “not agitating or desperate to have a new club before the World Cup,” even though interested clubs now see the moment as right to go to Forest. That leaves the decision with Evangelos Marinakis, who Jacobs said will personally handle any exit and whose next move could shape the market for weeks.
City remain a serious obstacle. Jacobs said they are “pushing and confident of agreeing terms with the player,” but United’s Champions League return has given them a fresh pitch in a race that now appears to be narrowing toward a head-to-head fight. Both clubs are expected to go to Forest to understand the price, and further clarity is anticipated in the coming days or the weeks ahead of the World Cup.
For United, Anderson is not just a target. He is the player around whom the summer midfield rebuild is starting to take shape, and the club now appears ready to find out whether Forest’s number, and City’s interest, make him a realistic signing or an expensive measuring stick for where the market has moved.
