Man Utd plot move for "phenomenal" England star and ex-Newcastle Utd ace as Carlos Baleba alternative in January
Manchester United wanted to sign Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba in the summer transfer window.
Manchester United made it clear during the summer transfer window who their number one transfer target was in midfield, as all the reports linked them to signing Brighton’s Carlos Baleba.
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However, even though the midfielder was open to moving to Old Trafford, United failed to secure a deal for the Cameroon international after Brighton set a price tag of over £100m for him, which the Red Devils could simply not afford.
They are now having to look at different alternatives, as the holding midfielder role will likely be their main position of concern for the January window. It seems they may decide to go after a star who recently made his England debut.
Elliot Anderson is ‘on Man United’s radar’
Ruben Amorim will be considering alternative targets to Baleba as he aims to improve in midfield with a reliable holding player to play alongside Bruno Fernandes. A fresh name has emerged: Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson.
According to TeamTalk, Anderson is on United’s radar after having an excellent season under Nuno Espirito Santo last season for the Reds. He was a key reason why they were able to secure Europa League football.
However, now things have changed at Forest with the addition of Ange Postecoglou, Anderson may decide he’s open to a new challenge, and United could potentially offer that to him with a move to Old Trafford.
It is understood that United want to sign two new midfielders, one in January and one in the summer, and that Anderson is currently the main name touted for the January transfer window.
The 22-year-old recently made his England debut against Andorra, prompting high praise from teammate Reece James. The Chelsea full-back told TNT Sports: “He is a phenomenal player. He fully deserves to be here, and he showed that with his performance today.”
Man United could offer Anderson swap deal to Forest
Based on recent transfer reports, one of the big stories at United is Kobbie Mainoo, who said he wants to leave just on loan to get more game time than he currently is under Amorim.
It is understood that if his minutes don’t improve, then he will be asked to leave in January, too. Forest will likely be reluctant to sell Anderson because of his importance to the team, and so United could try to tempt them by offering Mainoo on loan to sweeten the deal.
This would both hand Forest a talented replacement for Anderson, it would give Mainoo valuable minutes both in the Premier League and in Europe, and it would give United one of their two new additions in central midfield alongside Fernandes.
Anderson has an estimated market value of around £28m, however, that is only expected to increase, especially after his outings for England recently, which prompted many to say that he should be in the World Cup squad for Thomas Tuchel in the summer.
Anderson was sold by Newcastle just over 12 months ago, as the north east club looked to stay on the right side of PSR rules. He joined Forest for £35m and still has four years left on his contract.