Elliot Anderson bid rejected, Mateus Fernandes to Man United – mapping the midfielder transfer market | OneFootball

What next for Elliot Anderson and the Manchester City transfer saga after reports of a failed bid for the Nottingham Forest midfielder, and how will it impact other midfielder deals?

CaughtOffside writers are frequently in contact with sources in the industry and also work with top tier transfer news journalists like Fabrizio Romano and Christian Falk to uncover what’s going on behind the scenes.

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Even with the World Cup news coming thick and fast, there are some major stories emerging as Man City work on signing Anderson in what could end up being one of the most expensive and high-profile deals of the summer.

However, the latest from BBC Sport and others is that Forest are really playing hardball over Anderson, turning down two offers from City, the second of which was worth a total of £120m.

From Elliot Anderson to Mateus Fernandes for Manchester United

Manchester United had also been linked with Anderson, but for that kind of money it’s not surprising that they walked away from the deal, with the Times now claiming they’re leading the race to sign West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes for £80m.

This follows an agreement already being in place to sign Ederson from Atalanta, as per BBC Sport, so it’s a strong start to the summer from the Red Devils, while other clubs still haven’t got their midfielder signings done.

This is despite plenty of clubs seemingly being in the market for signings in that position, and plenty of recent speculation about the likes of Sandro Tonali, Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba, and Alex Scott.

What next for Sandro Tonali?

For full transparency, we were recently informed that City would try again for Anderson, which has since transpired, however, things did not go entirely as expected with regards to Tonali and Fernandes.

Last week, it looked more like United were most likely to pursue Tonali. Of course, there’s no confirmation yet on the Fernandes deal, so although things are now pointing more in that direction, it could change again.

We’ve been told Arsenal have an interest in Tonali, but interestingly, so do City, and it may be that we’ll see this story hot up now that Anderson is proving so expensive.

“Anderson is City’s priority, they want to get this deal done, and he wants the move,” one source close to the situation told CaughtOffside today. “But City have other options and would be prepared to walk away if Forest won’t relax their stance.”

Other midfielders to watch: Adam Wharton, Alex Scott, and Carlos Baleba

There has also been a lot of talk in recent months about other top midfielders such as Wharton, Scott, and Baleba. It may also be that Enzo Fernandez’s situation will become important.

For now, our understanding is that there have not been any bids made or talks held over any of the above players this summer, though Baleba still has a valid agreement on personal terms with Man Utd from last year.

It would appear that Baleba’s dip in form has led United to end their interest, however, as it’s hard to imagine a third signing in that position if they do indeed complete deals for Ederson and Fernandes.

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We’ve previously been informed of Tottenham’s interest in Baleba, but this has yet to advance meaningfully, though this could change with former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi now at the helm.

Wharton has admirers at Liverpool, though in the last few weeks Scott’s stock has risen a lot and he’s been discussed internally at at least five leading Premier League clubs.

Enzo Fernandez and Real Madrid

One to watch will be the future of Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez. He’s made noises about wanting to leave Stamford Bridge, and we’ve been informed of Real Madrid’s interest.

The Spanish giants’ plans are still being formalised while work has been done on completing the move for new manager Jose Mourinho, but if a big bid lands in Chelsea’s inbox, that could significantly impact the market for midfielders.

For now, Chelsea don’t plan to make changes in midfield, with the Blues’ aim being to keep Fernandez, but they would undoubtedly need a replacement for the Argentina international, and what’s where Tonali, Wharton, and Scott could work their way up the west Londoners’ list of priorities.