Elliot Anderson to Man City for £116m: a new British transfer record, agreed at the World Cup

Manchester City have agreed a £116 million deal to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, making the 23-year-old England midfielder the most expensive British player in football history. The fixed fee eclipses the £100 million City paid for Jack Grealish in 2021 and represents the biggest investment of the new post-Guardiola era at the Etihad.

Anderson will sign a five-year contract worth £300,000 per week after completing a medical that is expected to take place while he is on international duty at the 2026 World Cup in North America. England beat DR Congo 2-1 in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, with Anderson among the squad. Personal terms are settled. The deal is done in all but the paperwork.

City moved for Anderson despite reported interest from Manchester United and other European clubs. According to multiple reports, Anderson made clear early in the process that City were his preferred destination, with Pep Guardiola's successor and the club's new footballing project proving decisive in his decision. City have been rebuilding their midfield following the end of the Guardiola era and see Anderson as the long-term engine of that rebuild.

The fee is significant both in absolute terms and in what it signals. At £116 million for a 23-year-old who has spent one full season as a Premier League regular, City are betting that Anderson's ceiling is higher than almost anything else available in this market. He averaged 6.3 progressive carries and 4.1 key passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season, the kind of numbers that put him at or near the top of any advanced midfield metric. The World Cup has only added to the argument: he has been one of England's most consistent performers in the group stage and Round of 32.

For Nottingham Forest, the sale represents a significant windfall but also a complicated moment. The club has simultaneously parted ways with manager Vitor Pereira - sacked at 11:58pm on Tuesday in a move to activate a contractual break clause before it expired at midnight - and appointed Oliver Glasner as his replacement. Anderson was arguably their most valuable asset in more than just financial terms. His departure and the managerial change leave Forest with a substantial rebuild of their own ahead of next season.

The British transfer record has moved quickly upward in recent years. Declan Rice cost Arsenal £105 million in 2023. Grealish cost City £100 million in 2021. Anderson's fee takes the record to £116 million and, given the trajectory of the market, it will not hold forever. For now, though, a 23-year-old from Tyneside is officially the most expensive British footballer in history. Follow the latest football transfer news in the football news.