'To be clear' - BBC hit back at Anthony Elanga fake news after Newcastle United £55m bid
Newcastle United are set to complete the signing of Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle United submitted a £55million bid for the 23-year-old winger last week which has been accepted by Forest.
Nottingham Forest rejected a £45million bid from Newcastle for Elanga last month. The Magpies are yet to make a senior signing this summer but are confident of making Elanga the first.
The winger is understood to be very keen on joining Newcastle and the prospect of playing Champions League football after helping Forest qualify for the Conference League with six goals and 11 Premier League assists last season.
Nottingham Forest ‘fake news’ shut down by BBC
As things stand, Anthony Elanga is still a Nottingham Forest player. While Forest’s first-team squad returned for pre-season training on Monday, Elanga trained individually in Portugal as he was given extra time away following international duty with Sweden last month.
But he may not return for pre-season training at Forest as Newcastle close in on a deal.
Amid the reports and transfer speculation, one post from a Nottingham Forest fan news account gained some traction on social media. The post, which attributed BBC Radio Nottingham Sport as the source, claimed Elanga is fully committed to Forest and is negotiating a new contract, denying the links to Newcastle.
The Gazette has launched a new WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
The ‘fake news’ post got such a reaction that the BBC deemed intervention necessary.
The claim was quashed by BBC Nottingham Sport’s official X account, which responded: “To be clear - we haven’t done an interview with Anthony Elanga since the end of the season.”
The interview from the end of last season did not reference Elanga’s future at the City Ground but instead focused on an impressive second season at Forest. But he did look ahead to the 2025/26 campaign in a way.
"Whenever somebody asks me 'is this my best season?' I always say it is going to be the next one,” he told BBC Nottingham Sport.
“It is always the next one – the best goal is the next one, the best assist is the next one, the best game is the next one. You can always improve and get better and better. This season I have been really trying to hone down on everything. My decision making, my finishing, my passing, my general positioning, my general understanding of the game - there is so much you can improve on as a football player.
"If you are willing to put that extra yard in, that extra work in on and off the pitch, you are more than capable of reaching heights you wouldn't think are possible to reach."
Anthony Elanga addresses Newcastle United transfer links
Elanga has also addressed the links to Newcastle when speaking to the Swedish media.
Last season, he told Fotboll Skanalen: “The environment in Nottingham is good. It is clear that you can see that Newcastle are interested, it means that I am playing good football when a big club shows interest.
“But Nottingham is also a big club, they have won two Champions Leagues, even though it was before I was born. But I’m happy in Nottingham and have a contract there.”
Now he’s set to sign a new long-term deal at Newcastle.