Manchester City Pursue Anderson: Nottingham Forest Set High Price
Manchester City have made their move for Anderson. Nottingham Forest have sent a blunt reply: if you want him, pay big. Very big.
Pep Guardiola’s midfield, so often the heartbeat of City’s dominance, is heading for another reshuffle, and the club have reportedly identified the 23-year-old as a priority target to inject fresh legs and fresh ideas into the centre of the pitch. They see a player who can run, press, pass and think at the speed their system demands. A player who can grow into the role, not just plug a gap.
City’s recruitment team value Anderson’s versatility and engine, and believe his game fits neatly into the tactical demands at the Etihad. He can carry the ball from deep, snap into challenges, and knit play in tight spaces – exactly the profile they want as they plan the next iteration of their midfield.
But the first bid has already hit a wall.
Forest dig in
According to The Athletic, Forest have rejected City’s opening approach and made their stance crystal clear. Anderson is one of Vitor Pereira’s most important players, and the club are under no financial pressure to sell. There will be no cut-price deal, no quiet compromise.
Forest have told City it will take a “mammoth” offer even to bring them properly to the table. They invested heavily to get Anderson out of Newcastle, and internally he is viewed as a central pillar of their long-term project at the City Ground, not a trading asset to be flipped at the first sign of profit.
The hierarchy are said to be ready to resist interest, even from richer clubs, unless their full valuation is met. That message is not just for City. It doubles as a warning shot to the rest of the market: if anyone wants Anderson, they will have to pay a premium.
A rapid rise
The firmness of Forest’s position reflects how quickly Anderson’s stock has risen since leaving Newcastle. He has become a regular starter, trusted and relied upon, driving the team from midfield with his surges from deep and relentless work off the ball.
In the 2025-26 Premier League season, he featured in all 38 matches, starting 37 of them. That level of durability and consistency at 23, in a physically demanding role, is exactly what top clubs notice. It also explains why Forest feel emboldened to stand their ground.
His development has not gone unnoticed at international level either. Anderson has been named in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup, another marker of how far he has come and how highly he is now rated.
For City, that only strengthens the appeal. They do not just see a useful squad option. They see a potential future leader of their midfield, someone who could eventually take on a central role in the way their great playmakers of the past decade have done.
City at a crossroads
Now comes the decision. Do City go back in with a significantly improved offer, accepting that Forest will not blink easily? Or do they walk away and turn to other names on their shortlist?
Anderson ticks almost every box they are looking for in this window, but Forest’s valuation will test just how much City want him and how far they are prepared to push their budget for a player still at the start of his top-level career.
At the City Ground, the priority is stability. Forest want to keep their core together and build around it, not tear it up for one big sale. Anderson remains their player, a key figure in Pereira’s plans, and for now nothing changes.
But when one of Europe’s super-clubs circles a rising England international, situations rarely stay still for long. The window is open, the lines of communication have been drawn, and the next move belongs to Manchester City.
