Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson is reportedly on Manchester United’s radar, and this former Premier League ace believes he’ll fetch a hefty transfer sum

Former England coach Joleon Lescott thinks Manchester United will have to shell out £100million to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest this summer. United and a number of rival clubs have been linked with a move for the 23-year-old.

Since leaving his boyhood Newcastle United for Forest, Anderson has been a revelation. He has played his way into the England frame and is one of the Premier League’s most sought-after young players.

It has long been reported that United want a new superstar midfielder in the summer. Anderson’s name has been floated around alongside the likes of Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba. Casemiro will leave a gaping hole in the middle of the park when he leaves at the end of this campaign.

Ex-Manchester City defender Lescott worked alongside Anderson with England’s Under-21s and has a figure in mind should the youngster leave this summer. He also agreed with a peer as to whether Anderson’s Forest will survive the drop this season.

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Lescott and a guest on In The Mixer, brought to you by Sky Bet, were asked who they foresee being relegated this season alongside the current 19th- and 20th-place teams, Burnley and Wolves.

Both agreed on one side, and Lescott said: “I think Forest. I think West Ham get out of it.” The discussion then turned to Forest star Anderson, with Lescott adding: “He’s a £100million player, isn’t he? Especially after he plays at the World Cup.

“You’re not going to sell him before, are you? You’re going to sell him after the World Cup. [If Forest go down] they have to sell. But then there are more teams interested.

“They go down, more teams come in. Because if he’s in the Premier League, it’s, ‘He’s not leaving unless it’s £100m.’ Then there are only two or three teams.”

Having made his debut last year under Thomas Tuchel, Anderson admits he has hopes of being included in the manager’s World Cup squad. He told Sky Sports: “My dream was to play for Newcastle because I never expected to play for England but it tops everything off.

“First, I’m selected and I’m over the moon to be there, training with great players. But you want to make an impression, show the team that I am a good player. When I found out I was playing it was such a big moment.

“It’s my dream playing for England and playing with the best players brings out the best in me. England’s aim now is to win the trophies. It sounds good, doesn’t it?

“There’s a long way to go to get to the World Cup. I have to treat every game until then as a World Cup final and then hopefully I can get to one. I can’t wait. If I’m there I’ll have all of my family with me. It’s really exciting, to be honest. Very exciting.”

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Man United might have another area they need to strengthen in the summer transfer window.

Manchester United will be desperate to avoid adding to their summer to-do list. The Reds, of course, need to appoint a permanent head coach, having only hired Michael Carrick until the end of the season.

Carrick could still become the permanent head coach, but the Reds’ performance in what is left of the Premier League season will decide whether he is in the running or not. Even if he leads United back into the Champions League, the club could still decide to look elsewhere. Once a permanent head coach is appointed, attention will turn to the transfer market.

Casemiro is on the way out of the club and so a new defensive midfielder is needed. United were quoted £100m for Carlos Baleba last summer and they might have to shell out a similar fee if they are to sign a player capable of filling the hole left by Casemiro.

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The World Cup will only complicate matters further, so already the summer is looking challenging. The last thing United will want is another spanner thrown into the works.

Harry Maguire has had a turbulent career at United. He has been unfairly ridiculed at times and was stripped of the captaincy by Erik ten Hag. Looking back, that decision has arguably been the best thing to have happened to him at Old Trafford.

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Maguire has turned a corner without the armband and he is now a key part of the defence alongside Lisandro Martinez. Regardless of his improved form, United know they cannot keep Maguire, 32, on the contract he is currently on.

Negotiations are understood to be underway with Maguire to keep him at Old Trafford. There is the option to extend his current deal by a further year, but United are keen to reduce his wages and so an agreement needs to be reached if he is to stay at the club. If an agreement isn’t reached, United could be forced to hunt for a replacement.

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Leny Yoro enjoyed a solid start to his United career but has struggled of late. A solid cameo against West Ham left Carrick delighted as he took time to praise him in his post-match press conference, but the Frenchman clearly still needs time to settle in Manchester. Ayden Heaven is still adapting to senior football and should be given the time to develop away from the spotlight of regular first-team action. Matthijs de Ligt has not played since November and it’s still unclear when he will be ready to return. Suddenly, tying Maguire down to a new deal looks to be a key task for United.

United have plenty of issues that need addressing this summer. They could do without adding another to the list and keeping hold of Maguire would be sensible business.

Manchester United are set for another busy summer transfer window with a number of areas of the squad in need of reinforcements.

Manchester United haven’t been shy in splashing the cash in the transfer market in recent years. The Reds have been guilty of not implementing a proper recruitment strategy and have often paid way over the odds for players.

United were wrong to back Erik ten Hag in the 2024 summer transfer window, only to sack him a few months later, and while they made some solid additions during Ruben Amorim’s time at the club, there are still plenty of issues that need addressing.

There will be money to spend this summer but United may well want to utilise the free agent market as they look to work within their budget. There are a couple of players who could strengthen the squad without the need to break the bank.

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The first option available to the Reds is Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka. The 31-year-old has been at Bayern for eight years and has enjoyed a trophy-laden spell with the German giants. Goretzka has regained his spot in the national team squad and looks certain to be on the plane to the World Cup this summer.

Recently, Goretzka has been pushed to the fringes of the Bayern squad after announcing his intention to leave the club. Given an opportunity at the weekend, he scored in a 3-0 victory over Werder Bremen.

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If United were to sign Goretzka, he would not be a direct replacement for Casemiro. While the Brazil international breaks up play and wins the ball back better than anyone in the United squad, Goretzka focuses more on driving play upfield. That being said, he has experience playing as a defensive midfielder, so he has that highly desired quality of versatility that the Reds will need if they return to European football next season.

With Adam Wharton and Carlos Baleba, both valued at around £100m, on United’s radar, Goretzka could be an alternative option should United want to sign a midfielder with more experience before pursuing younger targets in the years to come, once the likes of Wharton and Baleba have gained more Premier League experience.

The other free option United should be looking at is Dusan Vlahovic. His time at Juventus hasn’t gone to plan. That being said, he has scored a goal every 2.5 games for the Italian giants, having spent a lot of time on the bench.

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What will impress United is Vlahovic’s form in the Champions League in recent seasons. In the last two campaigns, the forward has scored seven goals in 13 appearances in the competition, including goals against Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund.

Vlahovic has a similar profile to Benjamin Sesko but at 26 has a bit more experience. Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee will likely both leave in the summer, so bringing in a player who can provide competition for Sesko is essential.

United could lose a lot of experience in the dressing room this summer and so two players who have played at the top and wouldn’t command a transfer fee could look very attractive.

Manchester United have plenty of focus on one priority in the summer transfer window but they can not forget another in the meantime

Manchester United’s summer transfer window is sure to be a busy one and already the cogs will be churning to ensure the Reds are stronger next season than they have been this. The priority for United has been obvious even before Casemiro decided he would be leaving Old Trafford at the end of the season.

The midfield is in desperate need of a revamp after United spent the past two summers adding to both their defence and attack. Currently, only Kobbie Mainoo appears to be in a position to retain a spot in the midfield after the summer transfer window closes.

He has revitalised his United career since Michael Carrick took interim charge and could even make it to the World Cup when that seemed an impossible dream just a few months ago. Unfortunately for the Reds, defensive midfield is where the problem lies as Manuel Ugarte is not in a position to make the step up and there is also a lack of options on the market.

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That is why a lot of energy is going into the midfield this summer but, arguably just as important, is ensuring one of United’s top talents, who could follow the Mainoo pathway into the first team, makes the right next step. Chido Obi has had an eventful start to life in Manchester.

Last season, the centre-forward was drafted in as a necessity with the Reds left without striker options going into the final stages of the campaign. Having impressed in the academy since his arrival from Arsenal, the decision was made to give the Dane a go.

Sadly for Obi, he was entering a team who were lacking in confidence and, as such, showcasing his best form was always going to be difficult. MEN Sport understands the consensus at the end of that season was the push into the first-team came too soon.

That is why this season, Obi has been allowed the time to develop in the academy away from the spotlight of the first-team. On Saturday, the 18-year-old was on top form as he scored in the Reds’ 3-1 win over Manchester City in the U18 Premier League.

United are very pleased with the progress Obi is making in their academy with yesterday’s goal his ninth of the campaign. They were particularly happy with his work out of possession against City as the teenager starts to develop his all-round game.

Obi has been playing most of his football in the Premier League 2 which is the development league for U21s but the magnitude of the City clash saw him drop down. The striker turns 19 in November so he is getting towards an age where senior football is needed if he is to make it at United.

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That is why this summer is crucial for the youngster. United must decide whether Obi is ready to be a permanent member of the first-team squad or whether he would be better suited for a loan spell.

Right now, another season in the academy feels like it could be a waste. He has the attributes to compete in senior football even if his first introduction to it came too soon.

United know a good loan move can set a player up to be influential for the first-team the following season. Amad is the prime example of this.

He flourished at Sunderland in the Championship and came back to United ready to compete in the Premier League. Amad has not looked back and has not dropped into the academy since.

If Obi could get a loan move at a similarly high standard, the teenager could be perfectly set for the first-team. Loans to the Championship have been the making of many players at Old Trafford and are often a sign the club thinks highly of you for the future.

Obi is the next one who deserves to follow that pathway so picking the right team for him in the summer is just as important as fixing the midfield because, when strikers come at a premium, having the chance to promote a goalscorer from within is priceless. That is reason enough to ensure his next step is perfect.

Manchester United will be focusing on their midfield in the summer transfer window as Casemiro prepares to leave at the end of his contract.

Manchester United are set for yet another busy summer transfer window, whether they qualify for the Champions League or not. United will have money to spend as they look to overhaul their midfield department, and the departures of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho should add to the coffers

Changes in midfield were on the cards even before Casemiro announced he would be leaving at the end of the season. Despite regressing during his second and third seasons at Old Trafford, the Brazil international’s displays this season have been integral in United’s push for Champions League football.

United know they cannot afford to promote Manuel Ugarte. The Uruguayan has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League and this season has shown how fragile United look when Casemiro is not holding down the midfield – whether that be next to Kobbie Mainoo or Bruno Fernandes.

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United need to ensure their transfer plan is set ahead of the summer window. Back in November, sporting director Jason Wilcox gave an insight into the club’s plans.

“Last year’s summer window [2024] was a lot more chaotic than this one and this one was really calm,” he explained. “With this one, we knew the plan, we knew which players we were going to target, we had our lists, we knew which areas of the pitch we needed to improve.

“This year, we looked at Premier League-ready players and certainly with Bryan [Mbeumo] and Matheus [Cunha], we couldn’t take too much risk in this area. We needed players that we could plug in and play with little transition time.”

United know they cannot afford to get their next big midfield signing wrong, and so the safe option would be to once again look at Premier League-proven players.

Carlos Baleba was monitored by United in the summer, but having been quoted more than £100m for the Cameroon international, the Reds decided to keep their powder dry. That decision is looking smarter by the day.

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Baleba has struggled on the south coast and his difficult campaign took another turn for the worse on Wednesday night when he was taken off after just 22 minutes at Aston Villa. Fabian Hurzeler insisted the substitution was made to protect his midfielder after he was booked just two minutes into the game.

Even if that is the case, such an early substitution sums up what has been a disappointing 2025/26 for Baleba and should put United off signing him in the summer. So who could the Reds turn to instead?

Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton have both been linked but neither would be a perfect fit to replace the qualities Casemiro brings. Sandro Tonali is also admired by the Reds, but if you were to sign a midfielder from Newcastle, you would rather it was Bruno Guimaraes – and that seems a very unlikely move.

With realistic options in the Premier League thin on the ground, United might need to ignore Wilcox’s policy of finding a ‘plug in and play’ star and take a risk instead. The Reds realistically need to cast their net wider, which could mean dipping into the overseas market.

The World Cup almost guarantees players who were not on the radar of most clubs will put themselves in the shop window. But United will be wary of paying a ‘World Cup tax’ for a player who might not be a long-term solution.

In an ideal world, the Reds would have hoped Baleba would impress this season so they could go back in for him. But as the season goes on, that transfer route is looking even more of a gamble – especially at the price previously quoted.