Chelsea are reportedly showing a ‘serious’ interest in trumping Arsenal in the race to sign Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson, as per Caught Offside.
The Blues currently have Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, Romeo Lavia, Dario Essugo, and Andrey Santos as options to deploy in the engine room.
Therefore, on paper, the West London club are well-resourced in this department. However, Lavia and Essugo have struggled with fitness problems this season, while Santos is still very young and needs time to develop.
The Brazilian initially struggled to find regular game time under Enzo Maresca but has been featuring frequently since Liam Rosenior’s arrival as the manager.
Caicedo and Fernandez have been taking on enormous workloads this term. However, Caught Offside claim that with Fernandez linked with a move away, Chelsea have already started exploring options to replace the Argentinian international.
Rosenior’s side are showing a ‘serious’ interest in signing Anderson, having been impressed by his recent impressive performances.
However, Arsenal are also in this race, and they feel they can manage to secure his service. Furthermore, Bayern Munich have been keeping a close eye on his situation, and Newcastle United are keen on bringing him back.
Battle
But the report state that Manchester City are currently leading the race. With the player’s existing deal set to run until 2029, the Tricky Trees are in a strong position to demand a huge fee for him and want more than £100m.
Anderson has been playing as a box-to-box midfielder for Forest, but can also play in the deep-lying playmaker position. Furthermore, he previously played as a wide forward for Newcastle.
Arsenal already have Declan Rice, Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi, and Christian Norgaard as midfield options. However, the Dane has found himself on the periphery since joining from Brentford last summer. So, Mikel Arteta is keen on signing a new Premier League-proven midfielder this summer.
Anderson is a top-class player and isn’t a finished article yet. So, he would be a great coup for Arsenal or Chelsea should either club eventually manage to lure him away from the City Ground in the upcoming transfer window.
