Manchester United have tracked Anderson for some time and regard him as one of their top midfield targets ahead of a significant summer rebuild, ESPN states.
However, the club believe Forest's asking price is vastly inflated and are unwilling to let a bidding war with City drive the fee higher.
Nottingham Forest are standing firm. They value Anderson against the benchmark of Moises Caicedo's £115 million move from Brighton to Chelsea in 2023, and with the player set to represent England at this summer's World Cup and under contract at the City Ground until 2029, they see no reason to accept less.
United's plan is to cover the cost of their primary midfield signing through player sales — raising between £80 million and £90 million in departures — while preserving the bulk of their transfer budget to also sign a left winger, and potentially a centre-back or full-back. Getting drawn into a nine-figure bidding war for a single midfielder sits outside that framework.
If Anderson proves out of reach, United have alternative midfield targets. Carlos Baleba, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Sandro Tonali are all on their list. There has been no formal contact with Atalanta over Ederson, though sources confirm Atletico Madrid have been in touch with the Serie A club over a potential deal.
United are also focused on maintaining salary discipline this summer. High earners Casemiro, Marcus Rashford, and Jadon Sancho are all expected to depart, and the club want to keep the wage bill manageable as they reshape under Michael Carrick.
Forest's position is firm and unlikely to shift before the summer window opens.
United believed they were close to signing Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo in January but cooled their interest once his representatives met Manchester City to discuss personal terms — a pattern the club will want to avoid repeating with Anderson.