Nottingham Forest manager Vitor Pereira said he does not know whether Elliot Anderson will still be at the club this summer, as interest in the 23-year-old grows from Manchester United and Manchester City. After Forest's final Premier League game of the season, Pereira made clear he wants to keep his squad together, but he could not guarantee Anderson will be part of it when next season begins.
"I don't have the answer. If you ask me if he deserves the best clubs in the world, he deserves," Pereira said. He added: "He has a lot of quality, he is a talent. But he is our player and I am very happy with him. The market is the market, I cannot predict the market. I know we want to keep the same players, to bring two or three players to help us balance the squad. In the end, we'll see."
The uncertainty comes after a season in which Forest were in the Europa League and also pulled into a Premier League relegation battle before making themselves safe three games to spare. That mix of European football and survival scrap has made Anderson one of the more closely watched names on the market, with reports linking him to a move away from the City Ground before the start of next season. Pereira's comments did not sound like those of a manager expecting the matter to be settled in Forest's favor.
Anderson is high on Manchester United's midfield shortlist as they prepare to sign a replacement for Casemiro, while Manchester City are also hopeful of bringing him in for what looks set to be Enzo Maresca's first campaign in charge at the Etihad. England boss expectations add to the appeal: Anderson is expected to start alongside Declan Rice in midfield for England at this summer's World Cup, a sign of how quickly his standing has risen.
For United, the timing matters. They sealed a return to Europe's elite competition with three games to spare and can offer Champions League football next term, a factor that could strengthen their case. Michael Carrick said the team were "absolutely delighted" after finishing the season with a 3-0 win against Brighton, adding that the side had treated the campaign as one long push and that the hunger was still there. "It's not ended here and I think we want to keep building and keep pushing," he said.
That leaves Forest facing a familiar summer test. Pereira has made it clear he wants to keep the same players and add "two or three" more to balance the squad, but the interest around Anderson suggests the market may decide otherwise. If Pep Guardiola's departure creates an opening at Manchester United, the battle for Anderson could become one of the first major midfield moves of the window.
For Forest, the question is no longer whether Anderson has the quality to attract bigger clubs. It is whether they can keep him long enough to build on a season that swung from Europe to danger and back again. For the player, the next step looks increasingly likely to come somewhere else.
