Manchester United need to sign multiple quality midfielders in the summer 2026 transfer window, and one of their biggest targets will be Nottingham Forest breakout star Elliot Anderson.
The thing is, crosstown rivals Manchester City want to sign more midfielders, too, and they are going to be competing with Man United for their biggest targets, including Anderson.
According to a new report from Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, Manchester City are viewed as the frontrunners to sign Anderson right now, and there is doubt that Manchester United can compete with the wages Man City would be able to offer Anderson.
Honestly, this sounds like a bit of a cop out, because Manchester United should have enough in their coffers to give to Anderson, whose wages shouldn’t really be all that high since he is coming from Forest and isn’t an established world class player like Bruno Guimaraes or even Sandro Tonali.
The Manchester United and Manchester City race for Anderson will be tight and based on sporting merit and fit, though it is true that City have a financial advantage over everyone in the Premier League.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.