Nottingham Forest are to adopt a tough stance in their bid to retain Elliot Anderson’s services, reports the Telegraph.

Anderson is the Premier League’s in-demand central midfielder ahead of the January transfer window having established himself as a key man for the Tricky Trees.

In addition, Anderson is an England regular having broken into the Three Lions setup under Thomas Tuchel, and his form for club and country has caught the eye of interested parties.

Man Utd and Newcastle tracking England star

Manchester United are said to be keeping tabs on the 23-year-old as they consider their midfield options, while former side Newcastle have also been linked with a move to re-sign their former player.

The Magpies were forced to sell Anderson 18 months’ ago as they needed to raise funds to remain in line with PSR regulations.

Anderson moved to Forest for around £15m, while Newcastle boss Eddie Howe last month confirmed there are no buy-back or sell-on clauses in the five-year deal the midfielder signed at the City Ground last year.

However, Forest are under no pressure to cash in on Anderson in the New Year and will demand at least £100m in order to entertain the idea of selling the youngster.

Even then, the Midlands side will wait until the end of the season to consider selling Anderson and under no circumstances will they cash in on their prized asset in January.

'He is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League'

The news comes after Tuchel recently heaped praise upon Anderson, who is expected to start for England alongside Declan Rice at the base of the midfield at the World Cup next summer.

“Anderson is a key player for us at the moment. He is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, that’s why he is with us and starting for us,” Tuchel said

“He deserves it because he has been nothing but impressive. He has to keep on going now though. He is a very complete and mobile midfielder, and that’s what he keeps showing me.

“He is an elite player with the right attitude and a lot of talent. He is fulfilling his role in the best way possible so we are very happy with him.”

Anderson returns to Forest following international duty this week, and Sean Dyche’s side will be looking to make it back-to-back league wins when they travel to defending champions Liverpool this weekend.