Nottingham Forest are already eyeing 'outstanding' Elliot Anderson replacement

Elliot Anderson in England training

Nottingham Forest are already planning for Elliot Anderson's exit to Manchester City.

The Tricky Trees have accepted that Anderson will eventually move to the Etihad Stadium this summer, but are expecting them to cough up a record-breaking sum to sanction his departure.

Forest rejected two mammoth bids last week, the latest being an initial 3106 million plus 315m in performance-related bonuses, with the Premier League side holding out for 3110m upfront and 320 million in further add-ons.

That would make Anderson the third-most expensive player of all time after Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, depending on historical exchange rates, as well as the most lucrative Premier League transfer.

The 23-year-old is currently preparing for his World Cup debut as England face Croatia on Wednesday night, but talk over his immediate future continues to dominate the headlines.

This time, the discourse is around who Nottingham Forest will replace him with, and according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Celtic midfielder Arne Engels is seen as the "ideal profile".

Forest previously attempted to sign the 22-year-old after seeing a 325m bid rejected for him on deadline day in February, with Crystal Palace aiming to convince Engels to join them instead.

The four-cap Belgian international produced 15 goal involvements in all competitions for the Hoops as they won the domestic double, with Brendan Rodgers once hailing the midfielder as "outstanding".