Man Utd transfer nonsense exposed by Anderson ‘snag’ as Man City hijack in double blow for Amorim | OneFootball

Manchester United have no chance of signing Elliot Anderson for a cut-price fee, while Manchester City’s hijack is another blow for Ruben Amorim…

Anderson is on a list of ten non-Big Six stars primed for a transfer in 2026, but he is far more likely to leave Forest in the summer than in January.

The former Newcastle United star has had an extraordinary rise since departing his boyhood club, establishing himself as one of the finest defensive midfielders in Europe and a near-certain starter for England at next summer’s World Cup.

Anderson‘s sudden rise is a huge boost for England as he provides a fix in a problem position, and Man Utd appear to hope that he can have the same effect on Amorim’s team.

It is clear for all to see that the Red Devils are crying out for a top-tier No.6 to be Casemiro’s long-term replacement, and Anderson is widely reported to be a preferred target with Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and/or Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.

Man Utd’s willingness to test Brighton’s resolve over £100m-rated Baleba in the summer proves they are aware that they need to sign a new defensive midfielder soon, with Anderson standing out as a perfect fit.

Unfortunately for Man Utd, a January deal involving Anderson has never been likely. This is presumably why they are also reportedly looking at Wolves’ Joao Gomes as a potential low-cost target until they can sign a midfielder of a higher level and price bracket in the summer.

With Anderson, Forest are bound to put financial obstacles in the way of a winter exit as they will know it would be foolish to sell their best player while they are far from safe from relegation and are hoping to progress deep into the Europa League.

Anderson, too, should be against a January move because he would be in a far stronger negotiating position and would have more options once he’s presumably shone as a key player for England at a World Cup.

So it was confusing when it was reported last month that the Red Devils are ‘confident’ of signing Anderson in January for a cut-price fee worth around £70m. 

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Unsurprisingly, this nonsense report has now been exposed by an update from journalist Sacha Tavolieri, while Man City’s interest is another blow for Man Utd.

Tavolieri claims Man City are ‘in love with Anderson’, while he is ‘giving priority’ to Pep Guardiola’s side over other teams. Also, the ‘only snag’ for this deal is something anyone with their head screwed on was already aware of.

Man Utd (and others) put Newcastle United in their box in the summer window, though Arsenal, Chelsea, Vikor Gyokeres and Liam Delap proved where the Red Devils are in the pecking order, so Anderson’s reported transfer stance is justified.

And while it is conceivable that United outbid City to gain favour for Anderson, it would still take a large portion of next year’s budget to sign him, and they have no hope of landing when a new midfielder is ideally required in January.