BBC claim Man City are clear frontrunners for £80m transfer but Man United not giving up yet... | OneFootball

Manchester City reportedly look to be the clear frontrunners for the potential £80m transfer of Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson.

But that seemingly won’t stop Manchester United from pursuing the England international, according to BBC Sport.

Anderson has been in superb form for Forest this season, and now also looks like a near-certainty to start for England barring any surprise World Cup news this summer.

It seems clear that Anderson could shine at City or United, having produced some terrific stats with his Premier League performances throughout this campaign.

All-rounder Elliot Anderson would be a dream signing for most top clubs

See below for Anderson’s stats that show just how well he contributes in so many different metrics, with the 23-year-old showing himself to be the kind of all-rounder that could carry the best sides to success…

Elliot Anderson stats against other top PL midfielders (DataMB)

Anderson looks ideal to replace someone like Rodri at the Etihad Stadium, with MCFC perhaps in need of a younger player in that role now after the Spaniard’s recent injury problems.

United, meanwhile, have Casemiro approaching the end of his contract, with the BBC noting that they’re already looking to replace the veteran Brazil international.

As reported here for the Daily Briefing, Chelsea also have a long-standing interest, even if our information is that City and United look more likely for the moment.

Where should Elliot Anderson go?

Anderson will likely have a long list of options this summer, but he’ll have to pick carefully for this important next step in his career.

The former Newcastle youngster has flourished at Forest and will need to continue playing regular first-team football, which is probably more likely for him at United than at City.

Even if Anderson looks more than good enough to replace Rodri, it won’t necessarily be easy, while there’s also Nico Gonzalez to compete with.

Kalvin Phillips is a name for Anderson to keep in mind, as he looked superb for Leeds United before really struggling and seeing his career go majorly downhill at City.

Then again, a lot of big names have also gone backwards at MUFC in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, so perhaps keeping other options like Chelsea in mind wouldn’t be the worst idea.