Nottingham Forest’s final demand revealed as Anthony Elanga’s Newcastle United move edges closer

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Newcastle United’s pursuit of Anthony Elanga is nearing its conclusion, with Nottingham Forest demanding one final detail to sanction his exit.

Newcastle had grown confident about signing Elanga after a second bid had been submitted, with Eddie Howe’s side edging closer to Forest’s £60m valuation.

As part of the deal, Manchester United are owed 20% of the Elanga fee, so any fee will have to have that taken into account to make sure Evangelos Marinakis is getting good value for money.

With Newcastle reportedly submitting a £55m bid, though, Nottingham Forest News has learned what Marinakis is holding out for before an agreement is reached.

What Nottingham Forest are demanding to finalise Anthony Elanga sale

Given Elanga’s importance to the Forest squad, Marinakis has been rightfully stubborn in negotiations with Newcastle, who initially submitted a dismal £45m offer.

They now look set to get their man, but football correspondent Graeme Bailey has told Nottingham Forest News that the flat £55m bid won’t quite be enough.

Bailey said: “I understand that the Elanga deal has to be above £60m including bonuses for Forest to accept- so new bid is close. Indeed, if they include bonuses, it will get done.

“Talks are ongoing, with now only the make-up of the deal to get it done; it only needs £5m in bonuses to get it accepted.”

At this point, it seems highly unlikely that Newcastle will refuse to include the £5m in some form to avoid any risk of the deal collapsing. Even without the bonuses, though, the sale of Elanga is set to be the most lucrative departure from the City Ground in club history.

Where the Anthony Elanga fee would rank in Forest’s top sales

Elanga arrived at Forest for £15m ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League season, in which he scored five goals and registered nine assists.

Six goals and 12 assists last season saw Elanga eclipse his debut campaign, making it unsurprising that the Swedish international and former Manchester United star is set to become Forest’s biggest ever sale.

Elanga will slot in ahead of Brennan Johnson’s £47m departure to Tottenham, a sale that gave Elanga the space to star on the right side of Forest’s attack.

Attention will now have to turn to replacing Elanga’s 18 goal contributions, with a healthy transfer fee that will undoubtedly be made available to Nuno Espírito Santo.