Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali, Matheus Fernandes (Photo by Molly Darlington, George Wood, Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Following reports that Nottingham Forest have failed in their bid to sign the midfielder, what is the future of Elliott Anderson and Manchester City’s transfer saga, and how will it affect the contracts of other midfielders?
catch off side The writer is in frequent contact with industry insiders and works with top transfer journalists such as Fabrizio Romano and Christian Falk to uncover what’s going on behind the scenes.
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Despite the rapid flow of World Cup news, some big news has emerged as Man City work towards signing Anderson in what could be one of the most expensive and high-profile deals of the summer.
However, according to the latest information from BBC Sport and elsewhere, Forest have taken a serious stance on Anderson, rejecting two offers from City, the second of which was worth a total of £120m.
Elliott Anderson to Manchester United’s Matheus Fernandes
Manchester United were also linked with a move for Anderson, but with such a sum it’s no surprise that they ended the deal, with The Times now claiming Manchester United are leading the race to sign West Ham’s Matheus Fernandes for £80m.
According to BBC Sport, this follows an already agreed deal to sign Ederson from Atalanta, and would be a strong start to the summer for the Red Devils, with other clubs yet to finalize deals for the midfielder.
This is despite a number of clubs looking to sign him in that position, with plenty of recent speculation surrounding the likes of Sandro Tonali, Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleva and Alex Scott.
What’s next for Sandro Tonali?
In the interest of full transparency, we were recently informed that City were set to make another bid for Anderson, which has since been revealed, but things didn’t quite go as expected with Tonali and Fernandes.
Last week it looked like United were the most likely to target Tonali. Of course, a deal for Fernandes has yet to be confirmed, so things are currently moving in that direction, but that could change again.
Arsenal are said to be interested in Tonali, but interestingly so are City, and this could pick up steam now that Anderson’s signing turns out to be very expensive.
“Anderson is City’s top priority, they want to get this deal done and he wants to move on,” a source familiar with the matter said. catch off side today. “But City have other options and would be prepared to walk away if Forest do not relent.”
Other midfielders to watch: Adam Wharton, Alex Scott, Carlos Bareva
There has also been a lot of talk about other top midfielders such as Wharton, Scott and Valeva in recent months. Enzo Fernandes’ situation could also be important.
So far, our understanding is that there have been no bids or negotiations for any of the above players this summer, although Baleva still has a valid agreement with Man United on personal terms from last year.
However, even if deals for Ederson and Fernandes do go through, it is hard to imagine signing a third player in that position, so Baleva’s decline in form appears to have ended United’s interest.
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It has been reported for some time that Tottenham are interested in Baleva, but no major developments have taken place yet, but that could change with former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi taking charge.
Wharton also has fans at Liverpool, but the Scot’s stock has risen significantly in recent weeks and is being discussed internally at at least five of the Premier League’s leading clubs.
Enzo Fernandes and Real Madrid
The focus should be on the future of Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandes. He has been making noise about wanting to leave Stamford Bridge and we have been told of interest from Real Madrid.
The Spanish giants’ plans are still being formally finalized while new manager Jose Mourinho works to complete the move, but if a high bid lands in Chelsea’s inbox it could have a major impact on the market for the midfielder.
For now, Chelsea have no plans to make any changes to their midfield, and while the Blues’ aim is to keep Fernandes, they will undoubtedly need a replacement for the Argentina international, and where do Tonali, Wharton and Scott fit in on the west Londoners’ priority list?
