Manchester City agree British record £130m fee with Nottingham Forest for England midfielder Elliot Anderson
The 23-year-old England international is set to join the Etihad after Manchester City and Nottingham Forest struck an agreement on a deal that eclipses the previous British transfer record.
The agreement
Manchester City have reached an agreement with Nottingham Forest for the transfer of Elliot Anderson, with the total package worth a British record £130m. The fee surpasses the £125m Liverpool paid Newcastle United for Alexander Isak last summer, a threshold Forest's owner Evangelos Marinakis had insisted must be broken. Anderson, currently at the World Cup in the United States, is expected to undergo a medical within the next 24 hours before completing the move.
A record-breaking fee
City's persistence in this window has been clear. The club saw two earlier bids rejected: an opening offer earlier this month, and a verbal proposal on 10 June worth £106m upfront with add-ons exceeding £120m. Forest held firm until the package topped the Isak benchmark. The final £130m deal resets the ceiling for a British transfer.
- Alexander Isak
- 125 £m
- Elliot Anderson
- 130 £m
Anderson's rise
Anderson joined Forest from Newcastle United in 2023 for a fee of £30m. Across two seasons at the City Ground he made 92 appearances, featuring in every league match of the 2025-26 campaign and contributing four goals and four assists. His club performances, which helped Forest secure a seventh-place Premier League finish and a Europa League semi-final run, earned him an England debut in September 2025. He has since collected 10 caps under Thomas Tuchel and started both of England's opening World Cup fixtures against Croatia and Ghana.
- Joins Nottingham Forest from Newcastle United for £30m
- Makes his England debut
- Man City make verbal offer of £106m plus add-ons, later rejected
- Agreement reached on £130m British record transfer
- Medical expected within 24 hours in the US
What's next
The medical in the US should be concluded while England prepare to face Panama on Saturday. Anderson, who has three years remaining on his Forest contract, always favoured a move to the Etihad over interest from Manchester United. With the transfer now subject to formalities, Forest are already planning for life without their star midfielder. They have identified Tottenham's Lucas Bergvall as a potential replacement and have held initial talks over a possible £45m move, though the Sweden international is expected to attract other suitors.
