Nottingham Forest are in talks to sign Elliot Anderson amid Man City talks

Nottingham Forest are holding firm in one of the biggest transfer sagas of the summer, with the club continuing to reject Man City’s big bids for midfielder Elliot Anderson.

City’s latest approach has already been rejected, although the Premier League giants have upped their bid to a level that would set a new benchmark.

Forest, however, is not budging and is waiting for record-breaking valuations before considering a sale.

The England international has quickly grown to become one of Forest’s most important players, and the team’s form shows just how much he is respected at the City Ground.

City’s interest is not surprising.

Anderson has been identified as a top target after a breakout 2025/26 campaign in which he established himself as one of the Premier League’s most complete young midfielders.

Man United are also monitoring developments, but are believed to be reluctant to enter a full-scale bidding war at the current figures Forest are seeking.

That leaves City in a good position for the time being, but without an agreement for a selling club, negotiations remain at a standstill.

According to recent reports, Forest rejected City’s second bid of around £106m, which was set up as a guaranteed capital plus £15m in add-ons.

Even that package, which would have been a City team record, fell short of what Forest deemed acceptable.

The East Midlands club are now understood to be demanding more than £120 million as a fixed fee, refusing to be swayed by add-ons or future incentives (Fabrizio Romano).

Their rating shows Anderson’s value on the field and his long-term potential at just 23 years old.

All this being said, City are expected to be able to do a deal eventually, and behind the scenes, Forest may be making urgent plans to replace the former Newcastle star.

Sky Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has reported that Inter Milan midfielder David Frattesi is back on the Tricky Trees agenda after repeated links in January.

Di Marzio reports that Forest have inquired about Frattesi, but he will face Serie A champions Napoli, 26.

Frattesi made 33 appearances in all competitions for Inter last season, bagging three assists in Anderson’s place in midfield, but most of his minutes came from the substitute’s bench.

For now, though, Anderson is staying at Forest’s reporting center.

The position of the forest is clear: they will not be forced to sell, regardless of the size of the gift.

As they have already rejected many tenders from the City, the message from the board is that only an unusual proposal will change its status.

With United scrambling at the back and Forest exploring emergency options such as Frattesi, this tie has been one of the defining transfer battles of the summer window.

For now, Forest is holding firm, and Anderson’s price continues to rise.