Elliot Anderson is one of England’s most-wanted players ahead of the summer and Manchester United are reportedly keen on signing him to strengthen their midfield
Elliot Anderson is expected to leave Nottingham Forest in the summer(Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United could have Danish side FC Midtjylland to thank in their pursuit of Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson in the summer. The England international is one of United’s top targets with Manchester City also big admirers.
Michael Carrick’s men are almost guaranteed to sign at least one midfielder in the transfer window. Casemiro will leave the club in the summer once his contract expires, with a new partner for Kobbie Mainoo expected.
Anderson is one of the players at the top of United’s shortlist, alongside Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba. European stars such as Felix Nmecha, Khephren Thuram and Pape Gueye have all been linked, but Anderson is seemingly among the top contenders.
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Since moving to the City Ground from Newcastle, he has become an established defensive midfielder in the Premier League and is likely to be part of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup. Previously, a fee of £100million was touted to prise him away from Forest, but that may not be the case.
With two months of the season remaining, Forest’s season is within touching distance of collapsing. Vitor Pereira’s men sit outside the relegation zone on goal difference, putting their top-flight status at serious risk.
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Despite their struggles in the league, Forest have enjoyed success in the Europa League. They finished in the play-off spots in the league phase, knocking out Fenerbahce to qualify for the last 16.
Whilst they are not favourites for the competition, owner Evangelos Marinakis has publicly stated his own desire to win trophies at Forest and the European tournament is there only chance this season. However, they face a huge mountain in doing so.
On Thursday night, Midtjylland left the Midlands with a 1-0 lead going into the return leg in Scandinavia. Forest had 22 attempts on goal, but blanked to lose for the second time against the Danish side.
Forest’s struggles in the league mean they are expected to receive a low-end prize money figure (around £127.8m-£123.1m based on last season’s figures), meaning the possible windfall from Europe could assist them.
But crashing out in the last 16 will see them miss out on an additional £17.4million in prize money left in the Europa League. Winning the competition also comes with its financial benefit, with Champions League qualification bringing in a whopping £16.1m.
It means that if Forest do crash out in the first round of the knockout stages in Europe, their coffers will be significantly lower than expected. Altogether, they face missing out on £33.5m.