Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for a club record fee of 116 million pounds, according to the BBC. The 23-year-old England midfielder is set to have a medical before completing the transfer.
City sources insist the fee is 116 million pounds with no bonuses attached, though other sources claim the deal could be worth up to 130 million pounds. If the higher figure is accurate, it would represent a British record fee, exceeding the 125 million pounds Liverpool paid Newcastle for striker Alexander Isak last summer.
Forest had rejected two previous bids from City before accepting a third offer. Personal terms are not expected to be a problem. Forest are now expected to sign two midfielders this summer and have shown interest in Tottenham's Lucas Bergvall and Inter Milan's Davide Frattesi.
Anderson joined Forest from Newcastle in 2024 for 35 million pounds and made 88 appearances for the club, scoring four goals. He helped Forest finish seventh in the Premier League in 2024-25 and then reach the Europa League semi-finals the following season.
During the 2025-26 Premier League season, Anderson had the most touches in the league with 3,300, won possession the most times at 306, won the most duels at 297, and drew the most fouls at 80.
Anderson originally joined his boyhood club Newcastle at the age of eight and made his first-team debut in 2021. He made 55 appearances for Newcastle before being sold to Forest in a move that Newcastle manager Eddie Howe called "the most reluctant in my career." The sale was driven by concerns over profit and sustainability rules.
Anderson switched from Scotland youth international status to England's under-21s in August 2024 and made his senior England debut in September 2025.
He is currently preparing for England's final Group L World Cup match against Panama on Saturday and told BBC Sport this week that he has set his club future aside for now.
"It's pretty easy really, I'm just focusing on the present, I'm blocking it all out," he said. "I've got a plan and it's to perform for England. I'm putting myself in the best position to cross the line and do that."
