How much United were ready to pay for Carrick’s dream target comes to light as summer move inches closer – report

It has already been reported that Manchester United are set to miss out on their dream midfield target. When Casemiro announced his departure at the end of last season, INEOS officials scrambled to identify the Brazilian‘s successor. Like the summer of 2025, the focus was on finding someone who was Premier League-proven and the club zeroed in on Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest. Despite Forest’s poor season, the Englishman enhanced his reputation, scoring four times and registering five assists in all competitions. Why United and City were admirers of Elliot Anderson The way he controlled the tempo of games, and shielded the backline with his energy and determination quickly caught the attention of multiple big clubs. It was widely reported that the race was mainly between the Red Devils and their noisy neighbours, Manchester City. The Cityzens have stolen a march on the red side of Manchester, submitting two bids for the 23-year-old in recent days. The 20-time English league champions were ready to push in a bid to hijack the deal, but the valuations being discussed by Forest and City were something INEOS had no hopes of matching. Why United moved aside ESPN have revealed that the three-time Champions League winners were ready to pay between £80 million and £90 million. Forest are demanding in excess of £120 million, with City likely to pay. This is why they exited the race, but not before pushing City to vastly overpay. “Manchester United are ready to pull out of the race to sign Elliot Anderson, sources have told ESPN. United made the England midfielder one of their top targets ahead of the summer transfer window as the club look to bolster their midfield. “But concerns over Nottingham Forest’s valuation have prompted club bosses to take a step back in their pursuit of the 23-year-old. Sources have told ESPN that Manchester City have made an offer worth a total of more than £120m, including performance-related bonuses. City forced to overpay with insane bid “United’s initial valuation of Anderson was between £80m and £90m and sources have told ESPN that they are reluctant to get into a bidding war with City.” United have since moved on to the likes of Mateus Fernandes, Alex Scott, and Sandro Tonali. With Michael Carrick demanding three signings, it will be interesting to see if they can land two out of the three names mentioned above. A deal for Ederson has already been agreed following Casemiro’s recommendation, while quite a few academy graduates will also be given a chance to impress in pre-season. Feature image Michael Regan via 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 Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25