Nottingham Forest Reject £120m Manchester City Bid for Elliot Anderson as Marinakis Holds Out for British Record Fee

Nottingham Forest have rejected Manchester City‘s bid for midfielder Elliot Anderson, with the East Midlands club standing firm on a valuation that would set a new British transfer record. The offer, which comprised a guaranteed fee of £106 million plus performance-related add-ons taking the total beyond £120 million, was dismissed by Forest’s hierarchy.

Owner Evangelos Marinakis has made his position clear: any deal for Anderson must exceed the £125 million Liverpool paid Newcastle United for striker Alexander Isak — currently the highest fee ever recorded in British football. That benchmark, combined with the rejection of an earlier, lower bid from City earlier in June, places Forest in a position of considerable negotiating strength.

The 23-year-old’s asking price reflects a remarkable rise in market value since his move from Newcastle United in 2023, when he joined for a net fee of just £15 million. Anderson featured in all 38 of Forest’s Premier League matches during the 2025-26 season, contributing four goals and four assists — a campaign that firmly established him as one of the division’s most sought-after central midfielders.

Should Anderson eventually be sold for a figure surpassing £125 million, he would enter the ranks of the most expensive midfielders in football history, joining Declan Rice, Moisés Caicedo, and Enzo Fernández among those to command nine-figure transfer fees.

His form at club level also earned Anderson his senior England debut, and he has since been included in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, where he has been assigned the number eight jersey — a further indicator of the esteem in which he is held at international level.

Anderson is also a club teammate of Nigeria international Ola Aina, with both players having been central figures in Forest’s strong Premier League campaign.

Manchester City are reportedly preparing a third approach for Anderson, though Forest’s resolve shows no signs of weakening. Meanwhile, Manchester United are also understood to hold a strong interest in the player, though according to reports, their club executives are unwilling to engage in a bidding war. United are instead said to be monitoring alternative options, including West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott.

The saga represents one of the defining transfer storylines of the 2026 summer window, with Forest using Anderson’s consistent performances and international recognition to leverage a fee that could redefine the British transfer market. Manchester City’s pursuit, now spanning multiple bids, underscores the premium placed on elite central midfield talent ahead of a World Cup summer.