United Make Move for Anderson as City Threat Looms

Manchester United have tabled an opening offer for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, marking a concrete step in their summer recruitment drive.

The move comes after a transfer window last summer that saw the Red Devils splash over £200m on fresh talent, with the bulk directed towards attacking reinforcements. Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha all arrived at Old Trafford, yet the midfield remained a glaring weakness—a fact that left plenty of supporters frustrated as the season loomed.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS are intent on rectifying that shortcoming this summer. The expectation is they'll pursue at least two new central midfielders alongside a left-back and left-winger as baseline requirements.

Anderson has emerged as their primary target in recent weeks, though Manchester City's presence in the frame has sparked concerns among United's hierarchy. The England international has attracted plenty of chatter alongside other options including Newcastle's Sandro Tonali, Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton and Brighton's Carlos Baleba.

According to reporting, Nottingham Forest are holding firm at around £120m for Anderson. However, United reckon that valuation is well wide of the mark and have signalled their reluctance to get dragged into an escalating auction with City that could inflate the fee beyond reason.

The club's strategy centres on recouping between £80m and £90m through player sales, which would allow them to preserve their wider transfer budget for additional midfield business plus a left winger and potentially a centre-back or full-back.

Paul Scholes has previously backed Anderson as a shrewd acquisition. Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, the former midfielder said: "Elliot Anderson is a really good player. Look, I think they need a bit more than Anderson to get to where they want to be, to challenging, but, no, I think he's a really good player.

"When he was at Newcastle I thought he was a really good player. I thought he was more of an attacking midfielder and I didn't see him in this role that he's playing for England as a number six. But he looks a really good player, I think he's athletic enough as well and, yeah, I think he would be a really good signing but we'll see."