United wanted Anderson. They just did not want him at £116m. When Manchester City completed the transfer on 2 July, Sky Sports reported that the 23-year-old had “chosen Man City above Manchester United and the other interested clubs”.

Less than three months later, the maths had shifted. On 25 September an independent Premier League commission found City guilty on 114 of the 115 charges it faced over alleged financial rule breaches between 2009-10 and 2017-18. Sanctions have not been set, and the club has signalled an appeal, but the range on the table stretches from a heavy points deduction to expulsion from the Premier League.

‘Go and get him for maybe half the price’

Speaking on talkSPORT, former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor singled out Anderson and Gianluigi Donnarumma as the two City players he would want Manchester United to sign if the club is relegated. His comments were reported by Football365.

“Elliot Anderson, Manchester United wanted you, now you go there,” Agbonlahor said. “Manchester United, you wanted Elliot Anderson, go and get him for maybe half the price.”

Read also: Thierry Henry issues blunt warning over Liverpool’s £123m signing

He was just as direct on the goalkeeper.

“Donnarumma to Manchester United. Manchester United will go and nick their number one goalkeeper.”

Anderson’s fee dwarfs the goalkeeper’s

Donnarumma’s fee looks almost quaint set against Anderson’s. In September 2025 the Italy goalkeeper joined City for £26m from Paris Saint-Germain to replace Ederson, who moved on to Fenerbahçe after eight years at the club.

Anderson’s move a summer later took City into a different bracket. His £116m fee eclipsed the £115m Real Madrid paid Borussia Dortmund for Jude Bellingham in 2023, and made him the most expensive British footballer of all time. Michael Carrick’s United had led the chase for the midfielder before letting the Forest asking price go unmatched.

Read also: Roy Keane goes nuclear on Man City after 114 guilty findings

Sanctions still to come

The independent commission has not yet set a punishment, and City have said they will appeal. Until sanctions are handed down, any talk of United raiding the Etihad remains what Agbonlahor said it was: a plan for the day the verdict actually costs City their Premier League place.

Read also: Here is Foden’s Man City exit route