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.

Why Anderson, and why now

Anderson built his reputation at Nottingham Forest through consistent Premier League performances defined by technical quality, defensive contribution, and work rate. He scored against City themselves in a Premier League match.

At 23, he sits in the sweet spot of the transfer market. Old enough to have proven himself at the highest domestic level, young enough that City can expect the better part of a decade from the investment. The fact that Anderson is English adds another strategic layer. Homegrown player quotas in both the Premier League and European competitions mean that domestic talent commands a premium, and Anderson’s England international status inflates his value further.

What this means for the transfer market

The £116 million fee represents a new ceiling for British player transfers. When Grealish moved for £100 million in 2021, that figure has now been surpassed by 16%.

For Manchester City, this signing arrives during a period of ongoing scrutiny regarding the club’s financial practices. The absence of performance clauses signals that City valued Anderson at £116 million outright, with no add-ons used to bridge any gap between buyer and seller valuations.

For Nottingham Forest, the sale represents a financial windfall that could reshape their squad in a single transfer window.