Sublime £100m Man Utd target ‘bound for Manchester’ – but there’s a twist | OneFootball

Elliot Anderson is ‘bound for Manchester’ this summer, according to a journalist, though Manchester United will be forced to swoop for an alternative midfielder if they miss out on the Nottingham Forest star to rivals Manchester City.

Forest succeeded in keeping Anderson during the January transfer window, despite interest from clubs such as Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. The 23-year-old’s potential suitors knew Forest would not sanction any deal until the summer, at the earliest.

Even then, it will take an astronomical fee to sign Anderson, with Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis known to be a tough negotiator.

There have been suggestions Anderson could be on the market for £80million (€93m / $109m), though Forest might hold out for an eye-watering £100m (€116m / $137m).

United and City have now been given a major boost, with reporter Tom Collomosse revealing in a Daily Mail Q&A that Anderson is destined to move to the north west this summer.

The race for the England star is well and truly on, as Collomosse added that ‘which side he goes to is not determined yet.’

Numerous journalists have confirmed United plan to spend big money to transform their midfield this summer. Indeed, Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett said on deadline day: “Carlos Baleba at Brighton is on their list, Elliot Anderson at Nottingham Forest, they like Adam Wharton, and Joao Gomes at Wolves, so there’s a number of options. They may even do two.

“Window by window, they are prioritising areas of the team. It’s a very data-led approach. Last summer the priority was to score more goals so that’s why they pumped [so much money] into three forward players.

“Now they are wanting to solve the next imbalance and are going to address midfield. I get the impression Anderson is top of the list but we’re talking over £100m.”

Man Utd face major Man City threat

United will need to make a strong move to stop Anderson from joining City. Our transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, revealed on January 12 that City have already formalised their interest in the playmaker by opening direct contact with his camp.

While United will be severely disappointed if Anderson heads to the Etihad, they do have other targets in mind. Indeed, we outlined eight midfielders being considered on Thursday.

Baleba will likely be the next target if United miss out on Anderson. Sources confirmed to us on Friday that United are willing to smashing their transfer record by spending a huge £100m on Baleba.

Personal terms are already in place between the two parties after United initiated talks last summer.

Man Utd transfer news: Star ‘fuming’; midfielder joins Leeds

Meanwhile, a United player is reportedly angry with director of football Jason Wilcox after his transfer was blocked on deadline day.