The schoolboy whose teachers once discussed betting on him playing for England is on the brink of becoming Manchester City's record signing. Elliot Anderson, 23, is set to join Pep Guardiola's side from Nottingham Forest in a £116m deal — a club record for City — after transfer talks were finally concluded between the two clubs.
Anderson's journey from the playing fields of Tyneside to the World Cup stage has been remarkable. Head coach Thomas Tuchel calls the midfielder “the full package” and has made him a central component of England's World Cup plans. It is a far cry from his days at Valley Gardens Middle School, where he captained the side to a 3-0 win in the English leg of the Danone Nations Cup in 2014, scoring a hat-trick.
“Elliot Anderson set for record £116m Man City move, while Robert Lewandowski nears Chicago Fire switch after leaving Barcelona.”
His former English and PE teacher, Jonathan Roys, told BBC Sport: “His brothers had been through the school and I played against his dad. His brothers were decent, but I think being the youngest of three he was used to getting bossed about a little bit, but he took no quarter off anybody. He'd get stuck right in.”
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe called Anderson's £30m sale to Nottingham Forest in July 2024 “the most reluctant in my career”, a deal forced by fears of breaking profit and sustainability rules and incurring a points deduction. Now that sense of loss is more acute as Anderson — who once represented Scotland at under-21 level before pledging allegiance to England — is on course to become a key figure at City.
Across the Atlantic, another major move is taking shape. Robert Lewandowski, the 37-year-old Poland international and record scorer for his country, is close to a switch to Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire. The former Barcelona striker left the La Liga club at the end of the season when his contract expired and is expected to sign a two-year deal in Chicago.
Last December, Fire confirmed they had held talks with Lewandowski, and he has been on their “discovery list”, meaning no other MLS club can sign him without paying a fee to Chicago. Interest had also come from AC Milan and the Saudi Pro League, but the forward is expected to become one of the highest earners in the MLS.
Lewandowski's arrival would be a huge boost to Chicago, which boasts one of the largest Polish communities outside of Poland. Fire currently sit third in the MLS Eastern Conference and return to action after the World Cup break on 17 July against Vancouver.
After 12 seasons in Germany with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, winning 10 league titles and the 2020 Champions League, Lewandowski moved to Barcelona in 2022. He helped them win three La Liga titles and the 2025 Copa del Rey, scoring 120 goals in 193 games. However, a number of injuries over the past year meant he started only 17 league games last season.
Since his departure, Barcelona have signed Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon on a five-year deal worth more than €80m (£69.3m), while they await a decision on Marcus Rashford, who spent last season on loan from Manchester United. Reports on Monday also link them with a move for England striker Harry Kane, who is in the final year of his contract with Bayern Munich.