Manchester United Target Elliot Anderson Amid City Move
Manchester United have already landed one major piece of their midfield rebuild. Now they are preparing to crash Manchester City’s party for the next.
With Casemiro heading out as a free agent – Inter Miami his expected destination – and Manuel Ugarte placed on the transfer list, United’s summer blueprint is clear: two new central midfielders as a minimum, three if the market breaks their way.
Ederson is the first pillar. The Atalanta midfielder has agreed personal terms, accepting a five-year deal and turning down other offers to push through a move to Old Trafford. United are locked in talks with Atalanta over a package expected to come in at around €45m (£38m), a fee that reflects both his rising status and their urgent need for legs and bite in the middle of the pitch.
That, though, is only phase one.
INEOS eye Anderson as centrepiece of rebuild
Once Ederson is over the line, United intend to swing for a higher-profile addition. Michael Carrick’s preferred choice is Sandro Tonali from Newcastle, a player whose range of passing and tactical intelligence would reshape United’s build-up play.
Yet inside the new INEOS-led structure, one name sits above all others on the wishlist: Elliot Anderson.
The Nottingham Forest midfielder has become the No 1 target for the club’s new regime, viewed as a long-term cornerstone rather than a short-term fix. Dynamic, technically clean, and comfortable in multiple roles across midfield, the 23-year-old England international fits the profile United have lacked for years.
There is one significant problem. He is already halfway through City’s door.
City move first as Maresca era looms
Manchester City moved quickly and decisively. Anderson has agreed personal terms with the League Cup and FA Cup holders and, by all accounts, is already picturing himself in Enzo Maresca’s system next season.
The looming departure of Pep Guardiola has not shaken his conviction. The project, the trophies, the style of play under Maresca – none of it has put Anderson off. If anything, the prospect of joining a refreshed City side under a new coach has added to the appeal.
On May 27, insider Fraser Fletcher reported that talks between City and Forest were “rapidly advancing”, with sources expecting a deal could be sealed before the end of May. For a move likely to hit the £100m mark, that pace says everything about how badly City want him.
United refuse to back down
United, though, are not prepared to simply watch a player they rate so highly cross town without a fight.
Fabrizio Romano has already detailed how United have been “calling and calling” for Anderson, refusing to accept that the race is over. Those calls are now hardening into a concrete push.
According to the i, United are ready to make what has been described as a “serious play” to hijack City’s move. Reporter Pete Hall notes that insiders still believe City’s deal is “well advanced” and that Guardiola’s exit will not derail it, even as United line up their late intervention.
The pressure is obvious. If United want to turn Anderson’s head, they must do it now. Not next week. Not once Ederson is announced. Now.
High stakes in an all-Manchester battle
This is no routine tug-of-war. For INEOS, landing Anderson would be a statement about the direction of the club and their ability to compete head-on with City for elite talent in their prime, not just for players nearing the end of their peak years.
Lose him, and the plan shifts.
If City close the deal as expected, United will pivot to a wider shortlist. Carlos Baleba, Aurelien Tchouameni, Tonali and Adam Wharton are among the alternatives under consideration, each offering a different solution to United’s long-standing midfield imbalance.
Yet none of them changes the narrative in quite the same way as prising Anderson away from a near-complete move to the Etihad.
The clock is ticking. United have their first building block in Ederson almost in place. The question now is whether they can turn a frantic late push into the kind of transfer victory that redefines a summer – and perhaps the balance of power in Manchester for years to come.
