Manchester United are weighing up a move for former Newcastle United midfielder Elliot Anderson, with reports suggesting Nottingham Forest would demand at least £70 million for the 22-year-old.
Anderson joined Forest in July 2024 for £35 million as part of a deal that also saw reserve goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos head to Newcastle. At the time, Newcastle were forced to sell to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules in a highly controversial move, given Anderson’s status as one of their brightest
academy products to emerge from the Magpies’ development system.
Since his move, Anderson has obviously become a key figure at Forest, helping them secure a seventh-place finish last season and Europa League qualification.
His form has carried into the current campaign, with his performances leading to a senior debut with England earlier this month in a match against Andorra. Anderson was named Player of the Match and followed that up with another strong display against Serbia.
Former Manchester United scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Anderson is exactly the profile the club needs.
“He gets up and down the park, he’s confident and secure in possession of the ball, and he’s not afraid to put in a tackle which is something they need,” Brown said. “United see him as the type of midfielder who would help solve a lot of the issues they’ve had under Amorim.”
The Athletic reported that Newcastle failed to include a buy-back clause in Anderson’s sale to Forest, and may not even benefit from a sell-on clause, which is plain stupid on the Magpies’ side, knowing how obvious it was for Anderson to eventually turn into, at the very least, a steady starter in any Premier League club.
Newcastle also sold Yankuba Minteh to Brighton last summer to balance their books, but it is Anderson’s rise that now looks like the most painful departure, making it doubly damaging because of his homegrown profile.
