Manchester United have decided whether or not to gazump Manchester City for the signing of Elliot Anderson, with Fabrizio Romano confirming a monstrous deal is now ‘accelerating’.
Anderson, 23, is the top midfield target of Man Utd’s owners INEOS. Reports in Italy have claimed Michael Carrick’s No 1 option is actually Sandro Tonali, but the favoured man amongst the hierarchy is most definitely Anderson.
A battle for his signature this summer was tipped throughout the early months in 2026. However, while Man City are very much in the picture having already bid twice, recent reports stated Man Utd had got cold feet.
The reason why was simple – Man Utd didn’t believe the sky high cost of signing Anderson represented sound business.
Man City’s most recent bid for the England international totalled £121m, and comprised £106m plus £15m in add-ons.
Nott’m Forest laughed off the proposal and countered by demanding a minimum of £120m in guaranteed payments, according to Romano.
Whether Man City would walk away from the move – just as Man Utd appeared to do – was not clear.
However, a comprehensive update from transfer guru Romano has now clarified the situation.
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Man Utd will NOT bid for Anderson / Man City move ‘accelerating’
Taking to his YouTube channel, Romano reaffirmed Man Utd have decided NOT to bid for Anderson.
As such, the path remains clear for Man City who are now ready to raise the stakes with an even higher third bid.
“Man City are accelerating on the deal to sign Elliot Anderson,” began Romano. “After the £121m bid rejected by Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, now after that ‘no’ from Nottingham Forest, Man City remain in negotiations and conversations.
“The understanding is that Manchester United will not enter the deal. They are not planning to hijack the Anderson deal, and also he’s keen on a move to Man City, even without Pep Guardiola.”
Romano added: “Anderson still wants to go to Manchester City and the expectation is for this deal to accelerate in the next days.
“For sure Man City want to go strong on this one, also because Sandro Tonali, the other midfielder they approached, is leaning towards joining Tottenham Hotspur.”
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A £120m-plus transfer would set numerous records. Anderson would become the most expensive signing in Man City’s history, and also Forest’s most expensive sale.
Anderson would also become the most expensive midfielder in Premier League history, surpassing Moises Caicedo and his £115m (add-ons included) switch from Brighton to Chelsea.
Only striker Alexander Isak (Liverpool – £125m) would have joined a Premier League side for a bigger fee than what Anderson would be moving to Man City for.
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