Manchester City have seen an initial offer for Elliot Anderson knocked back by Nottingham Forest.
Talks remain ongoing between the clubs and City are considering their next offer.
City are thought to be in pole position to sign the midfielder this summer but are among a number of big clubs to be showing interest, including Arsenal and Manchester United.
Man Utd have already agreed a £34m deal to sign from Atalanta this week.
Anderson, contracted at Forest until the summer of 2029, has emerged as one of the Premier League's best central midfielders this season and is set to be an important part of England's World Cup bid.
The 23-year-old is part of a group of elite midfield options set to be on the market this summer, including Newcastle's Sandro Tonali, Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton and Brighton's Carlos Baleba.
City admire how Anderson, whose value is thought to be considerable, has evolved since joining Forest from Newcastle in 2024, and relations between the two clubs are thought to be excellent.
Midfielders such as Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Declan Rice have all made moves worth in excess of £100m in the past few windows.
Analysis by Your Site' Laura Hunter:
Given the length of Elliot Anderson's current deal, Nottingham Forest are in a strong negotiating position.
But it's surely in Man City's interest, and the midfielder's, to get a deal done before his World Cup campaign kicks off in two weeks' time - should that be possible.
His value is only likely to increase this summer, if he plays and performs for England as expected. He's got all the attributes to be as good and as influential as Declan Rice has been for Arsenal since his respective move from West Ham.
He's not a chance creator in the way Rice is, but he's a monster at recovering possession and then uses the ball really smartly.
He had the most touches of any Premier League central midfielder last season (3,300) in a Forest side that do not traditionally see the majority of possession share in games.
And he would substantially elevate City's midfield options, able to dovetail with Rodri, or replace the Spaniard altogether when or if he was unavailable.
Your Site News' Rob Dorsett:
We have been told Anderson is fully focused on making an impact at his first major tournament with England, ahead of their opening game against Croatia on June 17. Thomas Tuchel had made it clear he expects all the players to give full attention to preparations in the heat out in Miami.
The 23-year-old is the hottest midfield property in the English transfer market this summer. Any transfer is likely to cost more than £100m.
However, Anderson is determined to put his close relationship with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis first, before any discussions about a possible move away from the club this summer.
Forest do not want to sell him, and it's thought Anderson has been very moved by the care and support Marinakis has personally offered him since the death of his mother in April. The two men have become very close in recent weeks.
It now looks like the midfielder's future might be decided towards the back end of this transfer window, once his World Cup debut is over.
