Ben Jacobs names Man United’s “Plan A” in midfield as one transfer rumour played down
Manchester United are reportedly making Nottingham Forest central midfielder Elliot Anderson their number one target for the summer.
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According to Ben Jacobs, speaking to The United Stand, Anderson is the priority for Man Utd, while it’s also not clear if the links with Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali are actually as strong as some have made out.
See below for details as Jacobs talked up the Red Devils’ interest in signing Anderson whilst adding that Tonali looks likely to be hugely expensive at around £100m…
?? @JacobsBen: "Elliot Anderson is the number one target for Manchester United. I am not aware that United are poised to make a bid for Sandro Tonali.
Even if Newcastle didn't sell anyone other than Tonali, he will still be incredibly expensive, in excess of £100m. Plan A is… pic.twitter.com/1rxWOQ1XJR
— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) April 2, 2026
“Elliot Anderson is the number one target for Manchester United,” Jacobs said. “I am not aware that United are poised to make a bid for Sandro Tonali.
“Even if Newcastle didn’t sell anyone other than Tonali, he will still be incredibly expensive, in excess of £100m. Plan A is Elliot Anderson.”
Elliot Anderson better than Sandro Tonali for Manchester United
Anderson is one of the most exciting talents on the market at the moment, and it makes sense that MUFC would want him over any of the other names out there.
We previously ranked the England international top ahead of United’s other midfield targets, with the help of our Transfer Fit rating system.
Tonali’s price and age mean he loses points, and there can also simply be no doubt that Anderson has looked the more impressive performer in the Premier League this season.
The stats also back that up, as you can see below…
United will surely face competition for Anderson, though, with BBC Sport recently claiming Manchester City were looking the frontrunners for the moment.
Forest are surely going to struggle to keep Anderson, and it will be interesting to see where he ends up.
For what it’s worth, our information is also that Arsenal and Chelsea moving for Anderson also can’t be ruled out at this stage.
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