Arsenal star Declan Rice ‘really admires’ Man Utd and Chelsea transfer target

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has revealed his ‘admiration’ for Manchester United and Chelsea transfer target Elliot Anderson.

Anderson’s form at Nottingham Forest has seen him join Rice in the England squad and attract interest from a number of top clubs.

Forest’s £35m deal to sign Anderson from Newcastle United seemed steep at the time but the 23-year-old now looks like a bargain signing, given he is now valued at closer to £100m.

Anderson was superb last season as Nottingham Forest finished seventh in the Premier League and qualified for Europe, and has continued to impress this term despite the club’s struggles.

Forest have sacked Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou and Sean Dyche during this campaign and still face a huge fight to avoid relegation to the Championship, currently sitting 17th, level on points with 18th-placed West Ham.

Anderson will certainly be sold if Forest are relegated but is expected to be on the move even if current manager Vítor Pereira keeps them in the English top-flight.

The England international is believed to be Manchester United’s first-choice target for the midfield position despite the Red Devils also admiring Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.

But United are not alone in showing interest in Anderson, who has also been linked with Chelsea and Manchester City.

Whether any of those clubs are willing to meet Forest’s steep demands remains to be seen but Rice has suggested they would be wise to do so, insisting he ‘really admires’ Anderson and sees a lot of himself in his England teammate.

‘We’re like a hybrid of each other really,’ Rice said of Anderson in an interview with The i Paper.

‘We both play six, we both play eight, both love to attack the box, defend the box. He’s a player I really admire.’

Anderson has earned six England caps since the start of last season and could well start for the Three Lions alongside Rice at this summer’s World Cup.

Manchester United appear to be at the front of the queue to sign Anderson after failing to bring a new central midfielder to Old Trafford last summer.

Bryan Robson, the former United captain, would welcome the arrival of Anderson or Wharton to the Theatre of Dreams but has warned neither will ‘come cheap’.

He told BoyleSports: ‘Who is the midfielder Manchester United can sign this summer to improve their team?

‘You’ve got Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton because of the clubs that they’re at. Whether they’ve got any get-out clauses, and how much you’re going to have to pay to sign them, you’ve got to weigh that up.

‘I think Wharton and Anderson are top players. They’ve proven it because they’ve both broken into the England squad.

‘You’re going to have to look for that type of player but you know that that type of player is not going to come cheap.’

While Anderson may have one eye on the summer – both because of the intense transfer speculation and the looming World Cup – his current focus is on keeping Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

Forest came from behind twice to earn a valuable point at Manchester City last time out and return to Premier League action on Sunday against Fulham.

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