- Man City want Elliot Anderson
- Manchester United also interested
- Nottingham Forest could block sale
Manchester City have been leading the race to sign Elliot Anderson up to this point, but Nottingham Forest could be about to make their summer swoop more difficult.
Barely a day passes by without an update on whether or not Manchester City are likely to sign Elliot Anderson.
Recently, Man City initiated contact with Nottingham Forest to discuss a potential deal for the England international.
Since then, Forest have encouraged a bidding war, in hopes that City’s fight with Man United to sign Anderson drives up his price.
Man City will have to go through Evangelos Marinakis to sign Elliot Anderson
According to talkSPORT, Man City are ‘optimistic’ that Anderson will be persuaded to accept a move to the Etihad Stadium. This is the club’s aim even if Rodri decides to sign a new contract.
However, Evangelos Marinakis is set to handle negotiations personally, as global head of football Edu will be leaving at the end of the season.
Marinakis is known to be a tough negotiator. In fact, he was the man who blocked Morgan Gibbs-White from joining Tottenham Hotspur last summer, even though the midfielder’s release clause appeared to have been activated.
Worse still, the Greek businessman will be in no mood to discuss a deal, considering Forest are in a fight for survival in the Premier League.
Anderson can play alongside Rodri at Man City
With Bernardo Silva leaving Man City this summer, there is still space for Anderson in Pep Guardiola’s team.
This is the case even if Rodri decides to commit his long-term future to the club, as their styles could compliment each other rather nicely.
While the Spaniard lies deep and controls the tempo of matches, Anderson operates from one box to the other and likes to get forward and bring energy to attacks.
Essentially, Anderson could take on a similar role to the one Silva has been fulfilling, ensuring City maintain a world class midfield.
Man City need Anderson to push for a move
Gibbs-White seemed keen on joining Spurs last summer, but he gave in and signed a new contract with the Europa League contenders.
If Man City are to sign Anderson, they must do enough to convince him to keep pushing for a move until Forest have no choice but to let him leave.
If the East Midlands club are relegated, this would really help the Citizens secure a deal at a reasonable price.
However, they are currently on course to stay up, while a European triumph could also be on the cards, which would strengthen the cause of Maranakis.
Therefore, it is essential that Anderson is not just on board with a move to Man City, but that he is actively pushing for it.
