Manchester City close in on Elliot Anderson after agreeing personal terms
Manchester City have moved to the front of the queue for Elliot Anderson, with reports suggesting the champions have agreed personal terms in principle with the Nottingham Forest midfielder. The one piece still missing is the bit that usually decides these things: a fee that suits the selling club.
Personal terms done, the fee is the fight
By most accounts the 23-year-old has little issue with the move itself, and an agreement in principle on his contract is said to be in place. The negotiation that matters now is between the two clubs. Forest have set a high bar for one of their best players, with valuations reported in the region of £100 million and some figures going as high as £125 million.
City are pushing to get a deal close to that mark over the line, and talks are described as advanced. Whether they meet Forest's full asking price or find a structure both sides can live with is the question that will settle the transfer.
United step aside
For a while this looked like a two-club race. Manchester United had identified Anderson as a candidate to add steel to their midfield and help cover the gap left by Casemiro's decline, but they are reported to have pulled back rather than match Forest's price. That has left City with a clearer run, and a player who fits the profile they have been chasing.
Why the timing matters
Anderson is an England international, and City are keen to tie things up before the World Cup pulls everyone's attention across the Atlantic. Getting a deal signed early would let the player arrive with a full pre-season ahead of him rather than joining late after a summer of tournament football.
None of it is done yet. Personal terms agreed in principle is not the same as a completed transfer, and Forest are under no pressure to sell cheaply. But the momentum is with City, and they look the likeliest destination if Anderson does leave the City Ground this summer.
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