MANCHESTER (GG) — Manchester City have reached an agreement with Nottingham Forest to sign England midfielder Elliot Anderson for a club record fixed fee of £116 million ($153 million).
Club officials and institutional sources confirmed on Friday that the two Premier League clubs finalized the structural terms of the transfer following extensive negotiations. The deal consists of a baseline guaranteed payment of £116 million with no added performance variables, making it the most expensive single purchase in Manchester City’s history. The transaction eclipses the club’s previous record of £100 million paid to Aston Villa for Jack Grealish in 2021 and represents the highest fee ever recorded for a British football player.
The 23-year-old midfielder has been granted official permission by Nottingham Forest to undergo his medical assessment on Friday in New York, where he is currently stationed with the England national team. Anderson has been an integral part of the England squad during their ongoing international tournament campaign, starting both of the opening group phase fixtures. Final formalization remains subject to the midfielder concluding ongoing personal terms on a prospective five-year contract that is expected to include a further 12-month extension option.
The high-profile agreement marks the first major incoming transfer window acquisition for Manchester City’s newly restructured recruitment department under sporting director Hugo Viana. City had designated the versatile box-to-box midfielder as their absolute priority signing for the summer window, having previously seen two substantial triple-figure opening proposals flatly rejected by Nottingham Forest. Cross-town rivals Manchester United had also monitored the player’s availability but ultimately chose to withdraw from active bidding after being informed of Forest’s resolute valuation.
The multi-million-pound acquisition arrives as Manchester City prepares for a significant tactical transition on the pitch under the incoming stewardship of Enzo Maresca. The former Chelsea manager is poised to take over the managerial seat following the conclusion of Pep Guardiola’s historic tenure at the Etihad Stadium. The club’s leadership prioritized a substantial technical investment in central midfield options to safeguard against expected squad departures, with longtime mainstays Bernardo Silva and John Stones heavily linked with high-profile exits from the club this summer.
Anderson originally arrived at Nottingham Forest from Newcastle United in 2024 for a fee of £35 million, rapidly ascending into one of the top statistically rated midfielders in the division. During the domestic campaign, the midfielder led all Premier League outfield players in total touches with 3,300, while registering 297 successful duels and winning possession 306 times. Former Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gündogan publicly endorsed the acquisition on Friday afternoon, stating that the England international’s exceptional developmental trajectory would make him an outstanding technical addition to the squad.
