Elliot Anderson is expected to complete a medical for Manchester City in the coming days after a £116m fee was agreed with Nottingham Forest. The midfielder is free to finalise his move to the Etihad after that breakthrough in negotiations, but is also said to be focused on the World Cup.
Medical Scheduled After World Cup Group Stage
England are expected to fly into New York on Friday ahead of their third group game against Panama, and Anderson is not scheduled for his medical before that game as he looks to play a part in Thomas Tuchel's team topping their group. While a date for the medical has not yet been confirmed, it should take place after the completion of the first stage of the World Cup on Saturday.
City Respect England's World Cup Plans
City are in no rush to complete the deal having done the hard bit of agreeing a fee with Forest, and are happy to respect whatever England and Anderson think is best in order to cause the least disruption to the World Cup effort. Tuchel called for common sense recently on transfer activity when he spoke about the summer moves that some of his players could make during the tournament.
“There has to be common sense, I would say, I would not like it on a -1 and a matchday. That's the policy,” he said. “And everything else, if it is quietly done, privately done, done efficiently, we are always happy to help to have clarity around the player. I think the best we can have is clarity. If anyone has the chance to complete a change of club and a transfer, we will not stand in the way, but it has to align, of course, with our schedule and our goals which is to be focused and prepare for matches.”
Anderson's Role in England's World Cup Campaign
Should England top their group, their round-of-32 match will take place on Wednesday and it will be even later if they do not, with a Thursday game if they are runners-up and Friday for a third-place finish. Anderson has started the first two matches for England and is set to be a key part of Tuchel's plans to go all the way in the tournament.
