Hugo Viana considers walking away from Elliot Anderson race after £121M bid rejection
· Yahoo Sports
- Man City considering walking away from a deal for number one midfield target Elliot Anderson
- Nottingham Forest rejected a £106M plus £15M bonuses bid; Marinakis wants £110M up front
- Forest owner holding out for the overall fee being paid up front as Man City consider their stance
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Manchester City are reportedly considering walking away from a deal for Elliot Anderson after seeing a second bid worth £121 million rejected by Nottingham Forest.
The development marks the first genuine sign of strain in a pursuit City have led all year, with Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis having regarded the club’s previous offer as unacceptable while pushing for a British record fee for the midfielder.
Anderson has been in North America preparing for the FIFA World Cup with England throughout the negotiations, having been allowed to undergo a Manchester City medical on international duty, producing a man of the match display in a 3-0 friendly win against Costa Rica as the saga rumbles on around him.
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis accepts inevitable Elliot Anderson sale to Manchester City
Report: City weighing up withdrawal as Marinakis holds firm
As reported by Jeremy Cross of the Daily Star, Manchester City are considering walking away from a deal for Anderson after a second bid worth £106 million – plus £15 million in bonuses – was rejected by Forest.
Marinakis is holding out for the overall fee being paid in full, with the Forest owner unwilling to accept a structure built around add-ons and instalments despite the total package comfortably exceeding £120 million.
The demand for full £110 million upfront payment represents a significant escalation in Forest’s negotiating position, going beyond the headline fee itself and into the territory of payment terms that few clubs would accept on a deal of this scale.
City’s willingness to contemplate withdrawal suggests the club have reached the limit of their flexibility, with director of football Hugo Viana unwilling to be held to terms he considers unreasonable regardless of how highly incoming manager Enzo Maresca and the Etihad Stadium hierarchy rate the 23-year-old.
What happens next in the Anderson saga?
City have identified Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali as a strong alternative should the Forest pursuit collapse, with the Italian’s situation at St. James’ Park having been monitored throughout the summer.
The threat of withdrawal may itself be a negotiating lever, with Manchester United having already pulled out of the race and Forest facing the prospect of no buyer at all if City follow suit.
Newcastle United facing huge regret in Manchester City’s Elliot Anderson pursuit
Anderson’s own preference for the Etihad Stadium has never been in doubt, with the midfielder having completed a medical and Tuchel confirming the England camp see no signs of distraction in his performances.
Whether Marinakis softens his demands or City make good on the threat to walk away will define one of the defining transfer sagas of the summer in the days ahead.