Man City confirm deal to sign England star Elliot Anderson for club-record fee

Open menu

OneFootball's home page

Settings

The Independent

2 July 2026

Manchester

City

have secured the signing of

Nottingham Forest

midfielder

Elliot Anderson

, with the deal set to be formally completed once the player returns from the

World Cup

The 23-year-old, who is currently with the

England

squad preparing for a last-16 clash against Mexico, underwent his medical in Kansas, where the national team is based.

Confirming the agreement, a

Manchester City

statement read: "Manchester

and

have reached an agreement for the transfer of

. The formalities of the move will be finalised upon his return to

. In the meantime, everyone at

wishes Elliot and the

squad the very best of luck in their

campaign and we look forward to welcoming him to Manchester in due course."

While initial reports suggested a British record fee of £130m, sources indicate the transfer figure falls below the £125m Liverpool paid Newcastle for Alexander Isak last summer. The fee is understood to be closer to £116m, which nonetheless establishes a new club record for

Anderson has been a key player for

at the

(Reuters)

Anderson marks the first acquisition of the post-Pep Guardiola era and is expected to provide a significant boost to new manager Enzo Maresca, whose return to the club was confirmed earlier this week.

The midfielder has been a consistent starter in all four of England’s

matches, earning high praise from national team boss Thomas Tuchel during the preparation camp.

Tuchel described Anderson as "the full package”, adding: "He’s a top player. There’s nothing more to say, he’s the full package. I’m happy that he’s with us on that kind of level and he’s a key player for us."

Anderson looks set to continue in England’s midfield against Mexico on Sunday, although it is less clear over who will play alongside him.

Anderson has established a strong connection with Declan Rice under Tuchel, but the Arsenal midfielder filled in at right-back during the closing stages of England’s 2-1 win over DR Congo on Wednesday.

Should Rice be asked to play at right-back again, Tuchel could opt to drop Jude Bellingham into a deeper midfield role, or call upon Kobbie Mainoo to make his first appearance of the tournament.

Major Elliot Anderson transfer update moments before England vs DR Congo in FIFA World Cup

City Xtra

Anderson is ‘not a first-choice England player’ and Man City fee was ‘totally over the top’

Football365

Wayne Rooney ‘gutted’ as Manchester United miss out on Elliot Anderson, warns big fees can misfire

OffsAIde

Man City 2026 World Cup Watch: Elliot Anderson stars as England progress into Mexico last-16 clash

Jacobs explains how Man Utd, Arsenal have fallen behind Man City in race for World Cup star

Predicting which clubs the summer's biggest free agents will sign for

There are still some massive names who are set to become free agents in the summer, with some high-profile deals due to expire at the end of next month.As speculation...

Tottenham: Why James Maddison was not awarded a penalty against Leeds as Premier League issue statement

Spurs midfielder denied a big moment on his return from injuryThe Premier League has explained why Tottenham were not awarded a penalty in their draw against Leeds.As the clock ticked...

Bento's howler delays CR7's first title in Saudi Arabia 😱

An ugly mistake by Brazilian goalkeeper Bento prevented Al-Nassr from winning the Saudi League title this Tuesday.Cristiano Ronaldo’s team was leading 1-0 until the 53rd minute of the second half,...