Nottingham Forest could be in the market for a new midfielder this summer, with the future of Elliot Anderson unresolved.
Manchester City want Anderson, but Evangelos Marinakis is standing firm over a £120 million valuation for a player with three years remaining on his existing deal.
Anderson has been superb since signing for Forest in a deal worth £35 million back in the summer of 2024 from Newcastle, helping the Reds into Europe and becoming a regular for England.
How much should we do business for when it comes to Elliot Anderson?
Will we get the £115m that Brighton managed to squeeze out of Chelsea for Moises Caicedo?
With City and Manchester United now in the mix to try and sign Anderson, Forest have to have a trick up their sleeve for a replacement, and perhaps a deal akin to the one that saw the club sign the 23-year-old can be repeated.
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Nottingham Forest should look at Curtis Jones
According to The Athletic, Jones will be allowed to leave Liverpool for £35 million this summer – the same price that Forest paid for Anderson two summers ago.
Forest raised eyebrows when they paid £35 million for a player who couldn’t get into the team at Newcastle, but they’ve looked after Anderson and transformed him into the Premier League’s top midfielder in some metrics.
The chances of Forest getting Liverpool to sign a third-choice goalkeeper to offset the £35 million does look slim on this occasion, but that’s not a major issue.
Jones is 25, and he will recognise that the time has come for him to play regular first-team football, something he will fancy doing at Forest.
Anderson is a good testimonial for any player considering a potential move to Forest, as with the relevant game time, the platform is there to star in the Premier League.
As a Liverpool academy graduate, leaving might be a tough step to take, but with six England caps, he will certainly hold aspirations to add to that total.
Jones was called ‘special’ by Arne Slot during his time at Liverpool and clearly, there is some talent for Vitor Pereira to work with should Forest choose to go for him.
👀Would you take Curtis Jones if Elliot Anderson leaves Nottingham Forest this summer?🤔
Jones was the Premier League’s best in one sense last season
There will naturally be some reservations over Jones, not least with the fact that he’s failed to really hold down a place in the Liverpool team since being promoted to the senior ranks.
However, he was the top-performing Premier League midfielder last season when it came to passing the ball forward, according to Tribuna, and that is very positive indeed.
Furthermore, Jones is a plug-and-play Premier League player if the time comes to replace Anderson, and the settling-in period would prove very minimal.
It’s not clear at this stage whether there is any interest from Forest in Jones, but the chance to replace Anderson with a player for £35 million who has an abundance of talent looks like a bit of a no-brainer for Forest.
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