Manchester City just wrote the biggest check in British football history. The club confirmed on June 25, 2026, that it has signed Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson for £116 million, a fee that shatters the previous record.
The deal makes Anderson the most expensive British player ever signed, leapfrogging the £100 million City paid for Jack Grealish back in 2021.
How the deal came together
An initial offer of roughly £85 million was rejected. A subsequent verbal proposal in the neighborhood of £106 million, which reportedly included potential add-ons, also failed to get Forest across the line. The final agreement of £116 million came as a fixed fee with no performance-related clauses attached.
Anderson, 23, is expected to undergo a medical examination shortly. That exam could take place abroad, given England’s upcoming international fixtures, which may keep the midfielder away from Manchester in the immediate term.
