Nottingham Forest set timeframe for potential Manchester City transfer as eye-watering price tag hinted | OneFootball

Manchester City are likely to have to invest heavily in one particular player should they deem him crucial to their next batch of incoming signings at the club.

The Blues have significantly revamped their first-team ranks since Hugo Viana was appointed director of football in 2025, with the Portuguese executive signing off on the exits of several senior stars such as Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Ederson, Scott Carson, Manuel Akanji and Jack Grealish.

Pep Guardiola and co endured their most challenging season at the Etihad Stadium last term, finishing third in the Premier League with a disappointing 71 points, exiting the UEFA Champions League at the Round of 16 stage and losing the 2025 FA Cup final to Crystal Palace.

City have come a long way since the summer of 2025 and as they embark upon the second half of the current season, it is all to play on all fronts for Guardiola’s side, who are four points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, have one foot in the 2026 Carabao Cup final and progressed to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 in midweek.

The midfield department witnessed the notable departures of De Bruyne and Gundogan last summer, with City signing Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders as replacements. Rodri spent nearly the entirety of the 2024-25 season on the sidelines and has struggled with recurring setbacks since making a long-awaited return to action in May 2025.

City’s first-ever Ballon d’Or winner is slowly but surely getting reacquainted with the demands of the Premier League, though Nico Gonzalez has proved to be a very capable deputy for his 29-year-old compatriot this season.

Manchester City are monitoring the transfer market for possible reinforcements this summer as club bosses assess Rodri’s performances and make a decision on whether Guardiola could do with fresh options in the middle of the park.

In the wake of an injury-riddled few months across the squad, Viana and co have secured the arrivals of Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi from Bournemouth and Crystal Palace for a combined £84 million in January, with no further incomings expected between now and the February 2 transfer deadline.

The Blues have been credited with a long-standing interest in Nottingham Forest and England star Elliot Anderson, who will have a wide list of suitors in the upcoming transfer window after emerging as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League in recent seasons.

According to the information of Manchester City insider ‘Tolmie’s Hairdoo’ on X, Nottingham Forest are willing to wait until after the 2026 FIFA World Cup to set a valuation for Anderson, who is expected to partner Arsenal’s Declan Rice in midfield for the Three Lions at the marquee tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

It is further revealed that the widely circulated reports of an £80 million transfer fee may not be enough for a player hugely in-demand among some of Europe’s biggest clubs, and the City Ground owner, Evangelos Marinakis is ‘more than happy to bide his time’.

Manchester City really like Anderson and will surely be in the running to sign the 23-year-old, who is under contract in west Bridgford till the summer of 2029 and will, by no means, be a cheap get for bosses at the Etihad Stadium.