Nottingham Forest have rejected Manchester City’s £80m bid for Elliot Anderson, and now Manchester United believe they can persuade the 23-year-old midfielder to choose Old Trafford over the Etihad. United executives are optimistic they can win the race for the England international, valued at about £100m by Forest, despite Anderson being said to have expressed a desire to join City.
City remain favourites to sign Anderson, who is expected to start in England’s opening World Cup match against Croatia on 17 June. But United have not given up, with director of football Jason Wilcox also monitoring Mateus Fernandes as another midfield option. West Ham want about £80m for the 21-year-old Portuguese, though that fee may prove unrealistic.
“Manchester United believe they can beat Manchester City to sign Elliot Anderson after Forest rejected City's £80m bid.”
United have already agreed a €40.5m (£35m) deal with Atalanta for Brazil midfielder Éderson, who is expected to earn about £70,000 a week. Anderson’s salary at Forest is considerably higher at about £100,000 a week, and he can expect a 50% increase regardless of which Manchester club he joins. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, United’s co-owner, is prepared to meet those wage demands after trimming costs elsewhere.
Anderson’s contract runs until June 2029, but he is widely expected to leave this summer. Fernandes, meanwhile, was paid about £70,000 a week by West Ham but that was cut by 50% after their relegation, making any salary he would receive at United fit into Ratcliffe’s desired budget.
Elsewhere in the market, Tottenham are making progress on a deal worth about £60m for Manchester City winger Savinho, while Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are best positioned to move for Chelsea full-back Marc Cucurella, with the Spain defender keen on a change after four years at Stamford Bridge.