Man City break British transfer record with £116m Anderson deal
Manchester City have agreed a British-record £116m fee for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, marking the first major statement signing of the club's post-Pep Guardiola era under new manager Enzo Maresca.
Manchester City will pay Nottingham Forest £116m for Elliot Anderson, making the 23-year-old the most expensive British player in history. The fee eclipses the £105m Arsenal paid for Declan Rice three years ago and surpasses City's own £100m outlay for Jack Grealish. The formalities of the transfer will be completed after Anderson's participation at the World Cup concludes.
The deal represents a stark capital gain for Forest, who signed Anderson from Newcastle for just £35m two years ago. It shatters Forest's previous record sale of £55m for Anthony Elanga and places Anderson's valuation on par with the £115m Real Madrid paid Borussia Dortmund for Jude Bellingham three years ago.
City's investment is rooted in Anderson's exceptional physical and statistical output. During the 2025-26 Premier League season, he recorded 3,300 touches, the most of any player in the division. He also led all players in duels won (298), possessions won (306) and fouls won (80), while ranking second among midfielders with 1,895 high-intensity pressures.
Beyond his work rate, Anderson offers elite distribution. He completed 2,038 passes and 376 line-breaking passes, both highs for central midfielders, contributing four goals, four assists and 4.8 expected assists. These numbers were achieved in a transitional Forest side that finished 16th and employed four different managers.
A new tactical blueprint
Anderson arrives as the first major signing of the post-Guardiola era. Enzo Maresca left Chelsea on New Year's Day after winning the Club World Cup, and City have reached a compensation agreement to bring him in to succeed a manager who delivered six Premier League titles and a Champions League over a decade.
The signing fits Maresca's tactical demands perfectly. At Chelsea, Maresca built his midfield around aggressive ball recovery and rapid forward passing. Anderson's single-season touch count of 3,300 already exceeds the Premier League outputs of both Fernandez and Caicedo under Maresca, while his 376 line-breaking passes rival theirs.
Anderson is expected to replace Bernardo Silva and partner Rodri, though the Spain captain reportedly faces post-World Cup surgery. That uncertainty may accelerate City's pursuit of Morocco's Ayyoub Bouaddi. Forest, meanwhile, must replace a player who made 94 appearances and are targeting Inter Milan's Davide Frattesi and Tottenham's Lucas Bergvall.
