Elliot Anderson england
Liverpool are reportedly keen on beating Manchester United in the race to sign Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson, as per The Times.
After becoming the Reds’ manager ahead of last season, Arne Slot prioritised purchasing a new midfielder and wanted to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.
However, the Spaniard rejected a move to Anfield, and the Merseyside club didn’t make a move for any alternative options. Still, the Dutch boss managed to guide his team to win the Premier League title last term, courtesy of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister’s impressive performances.
Now, the duo has established themselves as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. However, the Reds don’t have many quality backup options in the engine room.
Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, and Wataru Endo can be deployed in a double midfield pivot role. However, Szoboszlai is a creative midfielder by trait, and Jones has had fitness problems.
Endo, on the other hand, has found it difficult to play regularly under Slot. So, it appears Liverpool are considering signing a new midfielder next year.
Zubimendi decided to join Arsenal last summer, and Liverpool have now started exploring alternative options. The Times claim that Liverpool are keen on signing Anderson, having been impressed by his recent eye-catching displays, and could make a concrete approach next year.
Battle
However, TEAMtalk report that Man Utd are also interested in the midfielder, while Arsenal have expressed their interest in him as well. Therefore, the player isn’t short of potential suitors.
United even believe that the 23-year-old is very keen on moving to Old Trafford and playing under Ruben Amorim. So, Liverpool will have to put their best efforts to beat their arch-rival in this race.
The youngster still has four years left in his current contract and Forest value the player at around £120m. But United feel they can persuade Forest to let their star man leave for around £60m.
Anderson is one of the best young midfielders in the Premier League and has established himself as an undisputed starter in Thomas Tuchel’s England national team’s starting XI.
Therefore, he would be a great coup for Man Utd or Liverpool should either club eventually manage to lure him away from the City Ground next year.