Manchester United Target Elliot Anderson Amidst Manchester City Pursuit

Manchester United have already landed one major midfield target. Now they are preparing to march straight into Manchester City’s path for another.

With Casemiro leaving on a free – a move to Inter Miami is on the cards – and Manuel Ugarte placed on the transfer list, United’s summer rebuild in the middle of the pitch is not a luxury project. It is a necessity. Two midfielders are wanted. Three is not out of the question.

Ederson is the first piece. The Atalanta midfielder has agreed personal terms on a five-year contract, turned down other offers and made it clear he wants Old Trafford. United are locked in talks with Atalanta over a package expected to land at around €45m (£38m). That deal is close enough for recruitment chiefs to start eyeing the next swing.

And that is where the transfer window’s most audacious subplot begins.

Anderson at the heart of Manchester’s next battle

Once Ederson is through the door, United intend to push hard for a higher-profile addition. Michael Carrick has put Sandro Tonali at the top of his personal list, but INEOS have a different No 1: Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson.

There is one glaring problem. City got there first.

The 23-year-old England international has already agreed personal terms with the League Cup and FA Cup holders. He is excited by the prospect of working under incoming head coach Enzo Maresca and, crucially, is unfazed by Pep Guardiola’s departure. The project, in his eyes, still shines.

Talks between City and Forest have been moving at pace. On May 27, insider Fraser Fletcher reported that negotiations were rapidly advancing, with sources around the deal expecting an agreement before the end of May. A fee in the region of £100m has been widely discussed, underlining just how highly Anderson is rated inside the Etihad.

City, in short, believe they are well down the track.

United refuse to back off

United, though, are not prepared to watch from a distance as a player they regard as a centrepiece signing crosses town in sky blue.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has already revealed that United have been “calling and calling” about Anderson, refusing to let the trail go cold even as City closed in. Those calls are now set to turn into something far more aggressive.

According to the i paper, United are ready to launch what has been described as a “serious play” to hijack City’s move. Reporter Pete Hall writes that insiders still see City’s deal for Anderson as “well advanced” and that Guardiola’s exit will not derail it, yet United’s intention to make a major push for the England midfielder is clear.

This is not a token gesture. It is a late, heavyweight challenge.

Timing is everything. If United are going to rip up City’s script, they must do it now, before Forest and City lock in the final details. The longer the saga runs, the more it favours the champions, who already have Anderson’s approval on personal terms and a defined role under Maresca to sell.

INEOS’ wider midfield plan

If United fail to turn Anderson’s head, they will not be left without options. INEOS have drawn up a deep midfield shortlist to support the club’s new sporting structure and to protect against exactly this kind of setback.

• Carlos Baleba is one of the alternatives.
• Aurelien Tchouameni is another high-end name admired at Old Trafford.
• Tonali remains a strong preference for Carrick, while Adam Wharton is also on the radar.
• And those are just four of several names being tracked.

The message is obvious: United will not stop at Ederson. The middle of the pitch is being ripped up and rewritten.

But Anderson is different. Young, English, already proven in the Premier League and comfortable in multiple roles, he fits the long-term profile INEOS want to build around. He also happens to be on the verge of joining their fiercest domestic rivals.

City believe they are closing in. United are about to test just how firm that belief really is.

In a summer of change on both sides of Manchester, the question now is simple: will Anderson be the heartbeat of Maresca’s new era at the Etihad, or the statement signing that signals a new dawn at Old Trafford?