Declan Rice has offered some advice to Elliot Anderson as the Nottingham Forest midfielder closes in on a British-record move to Manchester City.
The Arsenal man knows a thing or two about carrying a hefty price tag. Arsenal paid £105m for him back in 2023, and he has now spoken to Anderson about the pressure that comes with a £116m transfer.
Speaking from England's World Cup camp, via The Telegraph's Jeremy Wilson, Rice explained that he and Anderson had a chat about the fee. His message was fairly straightforward.
“I just said he can't control the price he's going for. I couldn't control what I went for,” Rice said.
He described the fee as “just noise” and backed the 23-year-old to keep playing the same way.
Rice also called Anderson one of the best players in Europe this season and pointed to how much of Nottingham Forest's play went through him. That is the footballing case for the move.
For Enzo Maresca, Anderson brings running power, ball security and the confidence to become a central figure in City's midfield rather than a passenger. This is the first major midfield signing of the Maresca era.
The Guardian has reported that City have agreed a £116m deal with Forest. Anderson has already passed his medical.
The fee will follow him into every early performance. That is unavoidable. City's job now is to make sure the role is clear enough for the football to do the talking.