Manchester City ‘confident’ of signing Nottingham Forest and England international star | OneFootball

Hugo Viana and his Manchester City transfer colleagues are reportedly ‘confident’ of their chances of securing Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson in 2026.

Viana ushered in a new era at the Etihad Stadium upon his appointment as City’s sporting director in the summer, conducting a sweeping overhaul of Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad in the backdrop of a disappointing 2024-25 season.

City added seven new signings in the summer transfer window as all of Kevin De Bruyne, James McAtee, Kyle Walker, Scott Carson, Ederson and Ilkay Gundogan left permanently, with the likes of Jack Grealish and Manuel Akanji leaving on season-long loans.

Guardiola’s new-look side have punched above their weight in recent months, slowly but surely cutting the gap to runaway Premier League leaders Arsenal and making strong progress in the UEFA Champions League and Carabao Cup as well.

City are yet to recall Ballon d’Or winning midfielder Rodri to the pitch after the Spain international suffered a hamstring injury in early October, with Nico Gonzalez since single-handedly shouldering the holding midfield workload – as Mateo Kovacic also recovers from a heel surgery, with the Croatian expected to return in the spring of 2026.

The Blues have won their last eight games in all competitions to keep up the pressure on Arsenal in the title race, with the Gunners extending their lead at the top to five points after putting Aston Villa to the sword in a 4-1 win at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening.

However, Guardiola needs reinforcements in January if Manchester City are to sustain their challenge for silverware on multiple fronts, with the Blues close to securing the arrival of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth in January.

City are not expected to be as active in January as they were in the summer but Viana and co will be monitoring the market with a distant eye on any openings they can capitalise on when they enter the 2026 summer transfer window.

According to the information of Manchester City insider ‘Tolmie’s Hairdoo’ on X, the Etihad Stadium club remain confident that they can secure Nottingham Forest and England international midfielder Elliot Anderson – and are in no rush ahead of the summer.

It is stressed that Manchester City do not have the necessary funds available to launch a pursuit of the player’s services in the January market, while Nottingham Forest are not open to offers until the summer.

Anderson has established himself as one of England’s best central midfielders in recent seasons in the east Midlands, with the 23-year-old expected to start alongside Declan Rice in the middle of the park for his nation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

City are huge admirers of the Tyneside-born star, who is under contract at the City Ground till the summer of 2029 but could be set for a big-money exit at the end of the season, when the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United are expected to fight it out for the highly-rated midfielder.