Newcastle United is set to sell big name player and replace him with Nottingham Forest star who is fans favorite

*Newcastle United set to sell big-name player and replace him with Nottingham Forest star who is a fans’ favorite*

Newcastle United are bracing for another painful summer sale – and the replacement could come from a very familiar face. With PSR pressure mounting and Champions League qualification slipping away, the Magpies are preparing to cash in on one of their stars and use the funds to bring back Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.

*Why Newcastle have to sell*

Eddie Howe admitted it after Forest’s 1-1 draw at the City Ground five days ago: selling Elliot Anderson in 2024 for £35m was “the most reluctant transfer I’ll ever do”. PSR rules left Newcastle with no choice, and the same problem is back. 887e

The club missed out on Champions League football, and reports say that failing to qualify “would likely lead to one or two major sales”. Alexander Isak was the headline name last summer, eventually joining Liverpool for a British record fee. This time, the candidates are Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and Isak again. 7d2e

TEAMtalk reports Newcastle are “reluctantly ready to sell” to balance the books. Eddie Howe would prefer to lose fringe players, but “a high-profile, expensive sale may have to follow”. e6f47d2e

*The Gordon situation*

Anthony Gordon has become the most likely departure. Bayern Munich’s interest has created “another unwanted transfer saga”, and Gordon himself was back on the bench against Forest after injury. e6a5

Gordon has been Newcastle’s brightest attacker, but replacing him won’t be simple. The club are already “assessing their options” and looking at Premier League-proven players to reduce adaptation risk. f149

*Enter Elliot Anderson*

That’s where Forest come in. Anderson left Newcastle aged 23 but has exploded at the City Ground. He scored a 88th-minute equaliser against his boyhood club, and was cheered by both sets of fans as “Geordie Maradona”. 887e

Eddie Howe said it “really hurts to see him do that against us today”, but also admitted Anderson is “going to go and have a fantastic career”. 887e

Now Newcastle are reportedly considering a move to bring him back. The midfielder has become a fan favorite at Forest, but Newcastle’s recruitment team see him as the ideal profile: Premier League-ready, homegrown, and already familiar with Howe’s system.

Selling Gordon for £70m+ would give Newcastle the funds to meet Forest’s valuation, believed to be around £60m. Forest don’t want to sell, but a Champions League club offering Anderson a return to St James’ Park complicates things. e0fa

*The other names in play*

Newcastle are also linked with Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga. Elanga had 6 goals and 12 assists last season, and Forest rejected a £45m bid earlier in the window. e0fa

But Anderson feels different. He’s local, he’s young, and Howe knows exactly what he’s getting. The regret in Howe’s voice after the Forest game was clear: “It really hurts to see him do that against us today”. 887e

*What it means for Newcastle*

If Newcastle sell Gordon and re-sign Anderson, it would be a full-circle moment. The club sold him to comply with PSR, and now they may bring him back to replace the player who stepped into his role.

It wouldn’t fix everything. Fans are still angry about losing Anderson in the first place, with one outlet calling it “the £35m error that just got even more costly”. But with PSR still biting and big names attracting interest, Newcastle have to be smart. 63cd

Selling Gordon would be painful. Bringing back Anderson would at least give fans a reason to believe the club learned its lesson.

As Howe said, “we knew the quality of the player” when he left. Now they might get the chance to prove they know it again.