Elliot Anderson will become the most expensive British player in history after Manchester City confirmed on Thursday they had reached an agreement with Nottingham Forest to sign the midfielder for £116m. The fee eclipses the £105m Arsenal paid for Declan Rice three years ago and beats City's own record of £100m for Jack Grealish.
The 23-year-old has started every game for Thomas Tuchel at the World Cup and enjoyed a remarkable campaign for Forest last season, leading the Premier League in touches (3,300), duels won (298), possessions won (306) and fouls won (80). Among central midfielders, he also completed more passes (2,038) and line-breaking passes (376) than anyone else. City appear to believe they have bought both potential and proven quality.
“City agree £116m fee for Anderson; Everton sign Hackney; Man Utd women's record deal for Drury; Spurs land Fernandes for £85m.”
While City secured Anderson, Everton finalised a deal for Championship player of the season Hayden Hackney, signing the Middlesbrough midfielder for at least £16m on a five-year contract. The 24-year-old said: "As soon as I spoke to the manager [David Moyes], as soon as I knew Everton were interested, to be honest, it was always going to be Everton. It's such a big club, with the new stadium and the direction it's going in. I just wanted to be part of that." Hackney made 154 appearances for Boro, scoring 16 goals, and was part of the England Under-21 side that won the European title in 2025.
In women's football, Manchester United have secured a landmark deal as 17-year-old Layla Drury is set to become the youngest player to sign a professional contract with the WSL club. The forward made her senior debut in January in an FA Cup tie against Burnley and scored in the 5-0 victory, becoming United Women's youngest goalscorer. She switched her international allegiance from Wales to England in February and is expected to spend next season with the first team on a full-time basis.
Tottenham also broke their transfer record, announcing the £85m signing of Mateus Fernandes from West Ham. The Portuguese midfielder's shirt number has been confirmed as he joins Spurs after a battle with Manchester United for his signature.