Arsenal have emerged as the leading contenders to sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson this summer, according to reports citing the Gunners as the club in the strongest position ahead of the opening of the summer window.
Arsenal are understood to have made preliminary contact and are prepared to meet Forest’s valuation, with the English club having set an asking price in the region of £100 million for the 23-year-old who has become one of the most coveted midfielders in the Premier League this season.
Anderson is having the season of his career at the City Ground, having been one of the most influential midfielders in the top half of the table across all metrics. His ability to carry the ball progressively, win possession and contribute to both build-up and final-third actions has made him a genuine England international-calibre player in a competitive position. Mikel Arteta has been building toward a particular technical midfield profile alongside Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi, and Anderson is understood to match what the Arsenal manager is seeking in terms of personality and playing style.
Manchester City and Manchester United have also maintained long-standing interest, with City having been linked most persistently over the past 12 months. United’s midfield rebuild is urgent given Casemiro and Ugarte are both leaving, meaning Anderson represents exactly the type of energetic, progressive operator that Michael Carrick’s squad needs. Fabrizio Romano has previously flagged United’s interest as serious and noted that Atalanta’s Ederson is being considered as a cheaper alternative, available for around €40 million.
Forest’s valuation of £100 million or above has acted as a deterrent for several clubs that were monitoring from a distance, but Arsenal’s title contention and Champions League position gives them the financial and sporting environment to justify such expenditure. Anderson himself is an Arsenal academy product who left the club at 13 to join Newcastle, where he made his professional breakthrough before his £35 million move to Forest last year. A return to north London would carry obvious narrative significance, though the football reasons are what Arteta’s recruitment team will focus on above all else.
The deal’s timing will depend on how the Premier League title race concludes, with Arsenal still chasing a first league championship in years going into the final weeks of the season. Any protracted negotiations would likely wait until after the campaign ends, but the groundwork is already being laid.
