Manchester City closing in on club record transfer for Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson

Manchester City closing in on club record transfer for Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson

• Man City are closing in on the signing of Elliot Anderson
• The update comes with the deal said to have entered its “final stages”
• Anderson is expected to undergo a medical in the United States while on World Cup duty

Manchester City are closing in on the signing of Elliot Anderson, with the protracted pursuit of the Nottingham Forest midfielder edging towards a conclusion this summer.

City have moved through multiple rounds of negotiation since their opening bid was rejected by Forest, with a second offer exceeding £120 million also falling short of owner Evangelos Marinakis‘ demands before a third formal offer was prepared in recent days.

Reports have since indicated the deal is in its final stages, with Anderson expected to undergo medical testing in the United States while on FIFA World Cup duty with England should an agreement be finalised.

Fabrizio Romano: Elliot Anderson transfer to Manchester City enters ‘final stages’

The pursuit has been director of football Hugo Viana‘s clear priority of the summer, with City determined to overhaul an ageing midfield following the departure of Bernardo Silva to Real Madrid and incoming manager Enzo Maresca keen to have his primary target in place before pre-season begins.

Report: City closing in on Anderson signing

As per talkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs and Alex Crook, Manchester City are closing in on the signing of Elliot Anderson, with the two clubs understood to be in the closing stages of finalising the terms of a deal.

The update follows weeks of negotiation in which Nottingham Forest have pushed for a fee in the region of £130 million, with Marinakis personally handling talks and keeping other senior figures at the City Ground, including manager Vitor Pereira, out of the loop throughout the process.

City have remained confident of getting a deal done despite the protracted nature of the negotiations, with the structure of any agreement – including the timing of formal completion, with Forest understood to prefer delaying matters until July for accounting reasons – having added further complexity to a saga that has run for the best part of three months.

What is the wider context for City’s pursuit?

Anderson’s importance to Maresca’s plans has been consistently emphasised throughout the chase, with the 23-year-old’s ability to drive forward from deep-lying positions viewed as the ideal tactical foundation for City’s midfield rebuild.

The England international has continued to impress at the World Cup, strengthening his position as one of the most coveted young midfielders in the Premier League and giving City further reason to push the deal through before his stock rises any further on the global stage.

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Securing Anderson’s signature before City’s squad reports back for pre-season training would represent a significant structural boost for Maresca, with the Italian eager to build his first campaign in charge around a midfield he has helped shape since his appointment was confirmed.