England international Elliott Anderson will also be one of them. most expensive soccer player It has been since Manchester City reached a deal with the midfielder from Nottingham Forest for a reported fee of 116 million pounds (approximately $155 million).
Anderson’s transfer is expected to be completed in the coming weeks after he finishes playing at the stadium. world cupThe city and Forest said in separate statements released Thursday.
City announced that Anderson underwent a medical examination in Kansas City and said they “look forward to welcoming him to Manchester in due course.”
The amount would be a club record for City, surpassing the £100 million (approximately $139 million) they paid for the winger. Jack Grealish in 2021 This is one of the highest sums in Premier League history, along with Alexander Isak (£125m, $170m) and Florian Wirtz (up to £116m, $156m), who moved to Liverpool last year, and Moises Caicedo (£115m, $146m), who moved to Chelsea in 2023.
The world record transfer fee remains the 222 million euros (approximately $262 million) that Paris Saint-Germain paid Barcelona for the Brazilian star. neymar In August 2017.
Anderson is now a regular for England.
Forest made a huge profit after signing Anderson from Newcastle for £35m in 2024, but he was under pressure to sell to make ends meet and meet increasingly strict financial rules in English football.
At the time, Anderson was an inexperienced but talented central midfielder. He is now an all-action England regular, playing in the mold of Liverpool great Steven Gerrard, and his distinguishing qualities – relentless pressing, physicality and incisive passing – have made him the most popular player in the modern game, particularly in the grueling Premier League.
City may view Anderson as a long-term successor to Ballon d’Or winner Rodri as a ball-playing holding midfielder. Rodri’s career has suffered setbacks over the past two years due to injuries.
And City needed a big midfield signing to compensate for the end-of-season departure of stalwart Bernardo Silva, who had recently joined Real Madrid and whose contract expires after nine years at the club.
This is the first major contract of the new era. Enzo Marescawas appointed this week as manager, replacing Josep Guardiola.
Central midfielder turns out to be the most expensive player
At the moment, it appears that top clubs are willing to pay central midfielders more than any other position.
Caicedo in Chelsea’s midfield Enzo Fernandezjoined from Benfica in January 2023 for £106.7 million ($131.4 million). This was at one time the largest sum in British history.
Arsenal signed England midfielder Declan Rice from West Ham in 2023 in a deal worth 105 million pounds ($138 million), and he was a key figure in the team’s title win last season.
And on Thursday, the BBC reported that Tottenham paid a club-record fee of £85 million ($113 million) to sign Portuguese midfielder Matheus Fernandes from West Ham, and are also set to sign Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali in a deal worth £100 million ($133 million).
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