Manchester City have completed the signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for a fee reported at £116m, making the 23-year-old midfielder the most expensive British player in history. The deal beats the £115m Real Madrid paid Borussia Dortmund for Jude Bellingham in 2023, and eclipses Jack Grealish's £100m move to City in 2021 as the club's own record signing. The transfer was announced on 2 July 2026, with Forest confirming an agreement was in place, though the formalities were completed once Anderson's involvement with England at the World Cup in the USA allowed. He passed a medical at England's World Cup training base in Kansas City before the deal was finalised, with Anderson set to link up with his new club once his international commitments end.
It is the first major piece of transfer business under new head coach Enzo Maresca, who takes charge at the Etihad following Pep Guardiola's departure. City wanted fresh legs in central midfield after Bernardo Silva's exit, and with question marks hanging over Rodri's long-term future at the club, Anderson's versatility was a key selling point. He can play as a lone holding midfielder, a box-to-box eight, or push further forward into a more creative role - the kind of adaptability any manager wants from a squad player who can start regularly.
The numbers back up the reputation. Last season Anderson led all Premier League outfield players for touches and duels won, and ranked in the top five for both tackles and passes attempted, pointing to a midfielder equally comfortable defending and driving attacks. He also covered more ground than almost anyone else in the division, underlining the pressing, high-energy game that suits Maresca's approach.
For Nottingham Forest, it is a huge financial windfall but a real footballing loss. Anderson had become one of the first names on the teamsheet since his £35m move from Newcastle United, starting all 37 of Forest's Premier League games last season as the club rose from 17th to seventh while also handling European football. Owner Evangelos Marinakis has already signalled that the fee will fund a rebuild, with Forest - now managed by Oliver Glasner after Vitor Pereira's departure - expected to bring in three or four new signings as they reshape the midfield around the gap Anderson leaves.
Anderson arrives on the back of a strong World Cup with England, starting every game as the team progressed through the tournament in the USA, adding to a domestic season that also brought four goals and four assists from midfield - healthy attacking numbers for a player whose primary job is to break up play and drive tempo. He also has a goal at the Etihad Stadium on his record, exactly the sort of proven output against top-level opposition that will have factored into City's willingness to pay such a large fee.
At City, Anderson is expected to compete for a regular starting berth and give Maresca options to rotate between a settled, patient midfield and a busier, more physical unit. His work rate and pressing should suit a coach who wants his side working hard without the ball, while his passing range and forward runs offer a different profile to the more possession-first midfielders Guardiola tended to favour. No squad number has been confirmed yet.