Manchester City are going to try to sign Elliot Anderson in the summer, but it would appear that they’re going to pick their moment to discuss things with Nottingham Forest.
Anderson is being courted by several top clubs, with Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and his former club, Newcastle, all previously linked with him.
The player, signed for £35 million, will rake in a significant profit for Forest this summer, and it would appear as though City are in the driving seat for his signature.
Pep Guardiola is a big fan of Anderson and now it’s been claimed that City are biding their time when it comes to making a move for the midfielder.
Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
When Manchester City will move for Elliot Anderson
It would appear that City are hoping they can get a discounted rate for Anderson should Forest be relegated from the Premier League this season.
It’s hard to imagine Evangelos Marinakis not driving a hard bargain, however, and City might be in for a rude awakening if they think they can steal Anderson on the cheap.
Ben Jacobs has gone into detail on the situation on The United Stand podcast, with the journalist believing that City are the club holding the aces.
He said: “Sometimes, if a club feels we’re going to get lowballed if we get relegated in the summer, you can offer a bit more now, and everyone can kind of meet halfway.
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“And I think Manchester City’s tactic has been to speak to the Elliot Anderson camp to outline the fact that, in likelihood, they will be able to offer the highest package and wage, but then wait to speak formally to Nottingham Forest because Forest are obviously focused on just trying to stay up, and Marinakis doesn’t really want to engage in anything.
“And the difference in price potentially between Forest going down or staying up will, in likelihood, make it worth waiting as far as the suitors are concerned and seeing whether they can get a better deal if Nottingham Forest end up dropping into the Championship next season.
“So Manchester City and Manchester United both expected to go big on Elliot Anderson. We’re not at an advanced point of clubs club negotiations or even Elliot Anderson saying he only wants one club. So at this stage, we can’t really say whether the blue or the red half of Manchester is winning.”
Marinakis will be praying for auction for Anderson
In reality, Forest want to ensure they can continue getting what they feel their players are worth in the summer and the only way they can avoid any quick-fire sales is with surviving relegation.
Marinakis won’t want to see the club drop back into the EFL, and ultimately it could prove disastrous if that does become a reality at the end of the season.
Anderson will almost certainly not be at the City Ground next season, and Marinakis will be desperate for the player to bide his time and spark a bidding war.
With a number of top clubs interested in his services, that does feel like the ideal situation for Forest, and if a fee of £100 million can be obtained, that would be huge for PSR purposes going forward.
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