Fabrizio Romano issues Elliot Anderson update as Thomas Tuchel allows Manchester City medical | OneFootball

Manchester City will try to close a deal for Elliot Anderson as soon as possible despite seeing an opening bid rejected by Nottingham Forest, as per reports.

City launched an opening bid for the Nottingham Forest midfielder earlier this week, which was rejected by the City Ground club who are holding out for a fee in the region of £100 million for the 23-year-old England international.

Despite the knockback, it has been indicated that City have no intention of walking away and are pushing to finalise a deal at pace, whilst assessing the market for alternatives such as Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali.

Anderson has already been permitted by England manager Thomas Tuchel to undergo a Manchester City medical during the FIFA World Cup in North America, with the former Newcastle United star himself having indicated his preference to join City amid interest from Manchester United.

Report: City pushing to close Anderson deal quickly

As reported by transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, City will try to close a deal for Anderson as soon as possible, with the Blues eager to wrap up the signing of their primary midfield target ahead of pre-season getting underway in July.

The update builds on reports emerging earlier this week that City remain confident of completing a deal for Anderson despite Forest’s rejection, with the two clubs now expected to enter more detailed negotiations over a fee that bridges the gap between City’s opening offer and Nottingham Forest‘s £100 million valuation.

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is believed to be handling negotiations personally from the City Ground, with reports having previously cited a Forest demand as high as £125 million while City see the deal closer to £80 million – leaving a substantial gap for both clubs to navigate in the days ahead.

What is the wider context for City’s pursuit?

Anderson has been City’s primary midfield target for the best part of a year, with director of football Hugo Viana and incoming manager Enzo Maresca both having identified the box-to-box midfielder as the ideal profile to fill the void left by Bernardo Silva‘s recent departure from the Etihad Stadium.

Tonali has been scouted as an alternative signing should the Forest pursuit prove insurmountable, though it seems for now that Anderson remains the first choice and that City are in no mood to let the pursuit drag on given the urgency of their pre-season preparations under Maresca.