Manchester United's Bold Move to Hijack Anderson from City

Manchester United are preparing a late, aggressive push to hijack Manchester City’s move for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, as INEOS accelerate their overhaul of Erik ten Hag’s midfield.

The plan is bold. The timing, risky. But United believe the 23-year-old England international is worth the gamble.

Ederson first, but Anderson the statement

United’s rebuild in the middle of the pitch has already started to take shape. Casemiro is leaving on a free, with Inter Miami expected to be his next stop, and Manuel Ugarte has been placed on the transfer list. Two new central midfielders are a necessity. Three is not out of the question.

Atalanta’s Ederson is the first piece. The Brazil international has agreed personal terms on a five-year deal and turned down other offers to prioritise a move to Old Trafford. United are deep in talks with Atalanta over a package expected to land at around €45m (£38m).

That is the groundwork. The heavy lift comes next.

Michael Carrick’s preferred option is Sandro Tonali from Newcastle, but INEOS have fixed their gaze elsewhere. Their No 1 target is Anderson, whose blend of energy, technique and Premier League experience has put him at the top of their midfield shortlist.

There is one major problem. Manchester City got there first.

City in control – for now

City have moved quickly and decisively. Anderson has already agreed personal terms with the League Cup and FA Cup holders and, crucially, is excited about working under incoming head coach Enzo Maresca.

Pep Guardiola’s departure, often the kind of seismic event that makes players pause, has not shaken Anderson’s conviction. He still wants the move.

Talks between City and Nottingham Forest are described as “rapidly advancing”, with sources expecting a deal to be wrapped up by the end of May. The champions have done what they usually do in the market: identify, move, close.

United, though, are refusing to step aside.

United’s late charge

Fabrizio Romano has already reported that United have been “calling and calling” about Anderson, refusing to let the deal drift away without resistance.

Now comes the escalation. According to the i paper, United are preparing what has been described as a “serious play” to wrench the transfer away from their neighbours at the eleventh hour.

Reporter Pete Hall summed up the situation starkly: insiders believe City’s deal for Anderson is well advanced and will not be derailed by Guardiola’s exit, “even though Manchester United intend to make a serious play for the England international.”

So United must move quickly. Very quickly.

Any hesitation and the player they regard as a centrepiece of their new midfield will walk into the Etihad instead of Old Trafford, another young English talent slipping into City blue.

The stakes for INEOS

If United fail to prise Anderson away, INEOS will pivot to a deep shortlist that underlines the scale of their planned rebuild. Carlos Baleba, Aurelien Tchouameni, Tonali and Adam Wharton are among the alternatives under consideration, with more names in the background.

Those are strong options, serious footballers, but Anderson is the one they want most. He is the one they are willing to go head-to-head with City for.

The Ederson deal signals intent. The Anderson pursuit will reveal something else entirely: whether the new regime at Old Trafford can not only identify elite targets, but beat the dominant force across town to them.

In a summer that will define the early years of INEOS control, this is more than a transfer tug-of-war. It is a test of power.