Manchester City have confirmed the £116 million transfer of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, setting a new club-record fee that eclipses the £100 million they paid Aston Villa for Jack Grealish. The deal also represents the largest sum Forest have ever received for a player, more than doubling their previous record of £55 million from Anthony Elanga's move to Newcastle United last summer.
Record-Breaking Transfer
The transfer ranks as the fourth most expensive in football history, surpassing Atletico Madrid's acquisition of Joao Felix in 2016. It trails only Liverpool's £125 million purchase of Alexander Isak (the British record), as well as Paris Saint-Germain's captures of Kylian Mbappe (£166 million) and Neymar (£200 million) in 2017.
In a statement on their website, City confirmed: "Manchester City and Nottingham Forest have reached an agreement for the transfer of Elliot Anderson. Anderson is currently competing at the FIFA World Cup with England and has completed a medical in Kansas. The formalities of the move will be finalised upon his return to England."
Anderson's Career So Far
Anderson, 23, joined Forest from Newcastle United two years ago for a fee roughly one-third of the current transfer. He made 92 appearances across all competitions in two seasons at the City Ground, nearly doubling his total from his time at Newcastle.
In his first season at Forest, the club finished seventh, qualifying for the Europa League league phase and reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, where they lost to Manchester City. The following season, Forest advanced to the Europa League semi-finals, eventually losing to eventual champions Aston Villa.
International Rise
Anderson earned England Under-21 recognition shortly after moving to the East Midlands, having previously been capped once at that level by Scotland (through his paternal grandmother). He was a key player for Lee Carsley's European Under-21 Championship-winning side last summer and was named in the tournament team.
He earned his senior England debut months later during World Cup qualifying and has since become a regular starter under manager Thomas Tuchel. Anderson has started every England match in North America this summer, missing only the 1-1 friendly draw with Uruguay since his debut.
