Manchester City are not messing about this summer. They have now had a second bid rejected for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, with their latest offer of £122m not enough to get the deal done. Forest, to their considerable credit, are standing firm and telling City to come back with more.
The number Forest are holding out for is £125m, which would match the British record set by Newcastle's sale of Alexander Isak. That is a pretty bold negotiating position, but you can understand why they are taking it. Anderson has been genuinely excellent since joining Forest, and the club have shown real ambition in keeping hold of their best players rather than cashing in at the first sign of interest.
From City's perspective, you can see why they want him. Pep Guardiola's squad has looked a little threadbare in midfield areas at times, and Anderson is young, energetic and carries the ball well. He also has England caps to his name, which suggests the people watching these things closely rate him very highly indeed. City spending big on a British midfielder is nothing new, but £122m is still an eye-watering figure for someone who, not all that long ago, was playing Championship football for Newcastle.
The gap between the two clubs is only £3m at this point, which in football terms is essentially a rounding error when you are already talking about nine-figure sums. It would be genuinely surprising if this one does not get done, because City clearly want the player and Forest clearly have a price in mind. These things tend to find a way to a conclusion when the numbers are that close.
Forest deserve a lot of respect for how they have handled this. Rather than rolling over the moment a big club came knocking, they have stuck to their guns and forced City to keep raising their hand. That is smart business, and it sends a message to the rest of the squad that the club means what it says about building something serious at the City Ground.
Let me know your thoughts.