Door left ajar for United as Forest reject huge offer from rivals for Elliot Anderson – The Athletic

Manchester United are searching for several midfielders this summer to replace Casemiro. What’s more, it is likely that Manuel Ugarte will also leave the club after the World Cup concludes. Ederson signed up United have already agreed a fee with Atalanta for Brazilian midfielder Ederson, who is expected to join the club in July. The club are also reportedly in discussions with West Ham United regarding Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes, who impressed in the Premier League last season. United are also keen to sign a third midfielder and have been linked with players such as Sandro Tonali, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Elliot Anderson. It has previously been reported that Anderson is the club’s top target, but they face significant competition from rivals Manchester City for the player’s signature. Ready to pounce Manchester City have been the club most engaged in talks with Nottingham Forest over the England international, and The Athletic has provided a significant update. Highly respected journalist David Ornstein has posted on X that, “Manchester City have submitted opening offer to Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson.” The journalist confirmed that the bid was swiftly rejected by Forest, but that the pursuit is still ongoing. Bosses from both clubs reportedly spoke at a UEFA dinner last week, but there is no evidence that a deal for Anderson was being negotiated. There is no indication of what the offer was, but numerous sources have suggested that it would require a bid of over £100 million, if not a British record transfer fee, to convince Forest to sell. 🚨 EXCL: Manchester City submit opening offer to Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson. #MCFC bid rejected by #NFFC but pursuit ongoing. Club bosses spoke at UEFA dinner last week (no suggestion it was to negotiate deal). W/ @lauriewhitwell @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/ZCZbfRgZLY — David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) June 3, 2026 The Peoples Person has reported that United have not yet given up on signing Anderson and that the club are ready to hijack any deal for the midfielder. If City become involved in lengthy, protracted negotiations, United could look to take advantage of City’s weary stance on the issue. Furthermore, City certainly have a history of walking away from deals they deem too expensive, and this could provide United with a pathway to completing a deal. Elliot Anderson Stats: 2025/26 Season CompetitionAppearancesAppearancesGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played Premier League3837448-3,335′ UEFA Europa League128-131833′ FA Cup——- EFL Cup——- Total5045451114,168′ Featured image by Alex Livesey/Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.