Manchester United Targets Elliot Anderson to Thwart Manchester City

Manchester United have already landed one big punch in the summer market. Now they are preparing to swing at their biggest rival.

Fresh from tying up personal terms with Atalanta’s Ederson, United are readying a late move to hijack Manchester City’s bid for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, a deal insiders believe is close to the finish line.

Ederson first, but not last

United’s midfield is being ripped up and rewritten. Casemiro is leaving on a free, with Inter Miami expected to be his next stop. Manuel Ugarte has been transfer-listed. The message from Old Trafford is clear: this department will be rebuilt, and quickly.

Ederson is the first pillar. The Brazil international has agreed a five-year contract and turned down other interest to prioritise United. Talks with Atalanta over a fee of around €45m (£38m) are well advanced. United expect that one to get done.

But Ederson is only the start. The club want at least two, and possibly three, central midfielders through the door. The scale of the overhaul demands it.

Anderson: INEOS’ No 1

Once Ederson is secured, United intend to move aggressively for a higher-profile name. Michael Carrick’s preferred option is Sandro Tonali from Newcastle. INEOS, though, have set their sights elsewhere.

Their top target is Elliot Anderson, the 23-year-old Nottingham Forest midfielder who has emerged as a leading figure on their recruitment lists. United rate him extremely highly and see him as a long-term anchor for the new era.

There is a major problem. City got there first.

Anderson has already agreed personal terms with the League Cup and FA Cup winners and is understood to be excited about working under incoming manager Enzo Maresca. The departure of Pep Guardiola has not cooled his interest in the move.

On May 27, TEAMtalk insider Fraser Fletcher reported that talks between City and Forest were progressing rapidly, with confidence on all sides that a deal could be wrapped up before the end of May.

“Calling and calling” – United refuse to walk away

United, though, are not walking away from a player they have identified as a centrepiece of their rebuild.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that United have been “calling and calling” for Anderson, refusing to drop their pursuit even as City closed in.

Now, according to the i, that interest is about to harden into a full-scale attempt to blow City off course. Reporter Pete Hall says United are ready to make a “serious play” to hijack the transfer, even at this late stage.

The belief inside City is that their deal is well advanced and will survive Guardiola’s exit. United intend to test that confidence.

Race against the clock

Timing is everything now. If United are to turn this into a genuine all-Manchester tug of war, they must move immediately, both with Forest and with the player’s camp.

If they fail, the plan shifts. INEOS have drawn up a long midfield shortlist, with Carlos Baleba, Aurelien Tchouameni, Tonali and Adam Wharton among the alternative options being monitored.

Ederson will almost certainly arrive. Others will follow.

The question is whether United can land the one midfielder they have placed at the very top of their new hierarchy – or watch him walk into the blue half of Manchester instead.