Manchester City have lodged an opening bid for Elliot Anderson.
The Athletic report that City, who will undergo a rebuild this summer after three key departures, have formalised their interest in Nottingham Forest’s rising star.
City will see Pep Guardiola leave the Etihad Stadium after a decade in charge, while John Stones and Bernardo Silva - two stalwarts of the Guardiola era - will also leave upon the expiration of their respective contracts.
David Ornstein reported on Wednesday night that Man City had made an offer for the England international, who will play for his country at the World Cup this summer.
That offer has been knocked back by Forest, who are looking to get the best possible price for their in-demand midfielder.
That could mean a fee for Anderson could eclipse the £100million mark, which would place him in similar category to Declan Rice, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
Rice’s £105m package deal from West Ham to Arsenal in the summer of 2023 is reportedly the price that clubs will need to beat in order to tempt Forest to sell Anderson.
Anderson, formerly of Newcastle United, played in all of Forest’s Premier League games this season, scoring four goals and assisting four times.
He also featured 12 times in their Europa League campaign as Vitor Pereira’s men reached the semi-finals.
Manchester United also hold an interest in Anderson, but could be put off by Forest’s asking price for the 23-year-old.
Instead, Michael Carrick’s side have turned to Ederson to kick off their summer business, with a £35m deal agreed with Serie A side Atalanta for the Brazilian.
