Gibbs-White transfer latest – Nottingham Forest stance, what has been said

www.nottinghampost.com

Sarah Clapson

6 – 7 minutes

A question mark continues to hang over the future of Nottingham Forest ace Morgan Gibbs-White as the new season draws closer.

The Reds star is a wanted man this summer and has been at the centre of much speculation. Already this transfer saga has had multiple twists and turns, and it could still have some way to run.

Clubs have until September 1 to do business, leaving time for the uncertainty around Forest’s prized asset to drag on longer. Below, NottinghamshireLive sets out what has happened so far and the state of play.

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Manchester City interest

As far back as March, City were said to have their eye on Gibbs-White. When Kevin De Bruyne announced his intention to leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of last season, the Reds attacker was identified as a potential replacement.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano even identified Gibbs-White as a ‘priority target’ for City. Boss Pep Guardiola making a beeline for the 25-year-old after his team had triumphed over Forest in April’s FA Cup semi-final only fuelled the transfer talk.

By early June, however, City’s interest in Gibbs-White had cooled. They had moved on to other targets and had been able to get deals over the line.

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Tottenham Hotspur pursuit

City were far from Gibbs-White’s only admirers in the early stages of the transfer window. A number of clubs were credited with an interest in him – Spurs among them.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and Tottenham showed their hand. They triggered a £60 million release clause in the player’s contract and a medical was reportedly scheduled.

The Reds, though, were far from happy over what they believed was an illegal approach for their main man. The proposed move ground to a halt and Forest reportedly shut down communication with the north London side.

Contract situation

The difficulty where the Reds are concerned is Gibbs-White has just two years to run on the five-year deal he penned when he made the move from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2022. If his situation is not resolved one way or another, in 12 months’ time Forest will potentially be in an even weaker position.

By the summer of 2026, Gibbs-White would have just a year left on his contract. Without fresh terms being agreed, the Reds could face having to sell him for a reduced price or risk seeing him walk away for nothing at the end of the 2026/27 season.

Reports have suggested the club have tried to initiate contract talks over the past year but have not got anywhere. It has been claimed Gibbs-White has ‘refused’ to engage.

What now?

There has been talk of Spurs returning with a £65m bid. Whether that would be enough to convince Forest to do a deal is not known, however.

According to talkSPORT, Reds owner Evangelos Marinakis is ‘hoping’ City rejoin the race for Gibbs-White. It is claimed the England international assured Marinakis at the end of last season he would only leave Forest ‘for a certain level of club’ and the Greek businessman believes Tottenham do not fall into that category.

As a result, the Reds are said to hope the beaten FA Cup finalists propose a ‘rival bid’ for the 25-year-old. However, according to our sister title Manchester Evening News, City have no intention of signing another midfielder during the summer transfer window.

Gibbs-White did not travel to Portugal on Monday with the rest of Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad for a pre-season training camp. His absence was due to a private matter, not anything transfer related, and he is expected to link up with his teammates later this week.

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What has been said?

Gibbs-White missed Forest’s first friendly of the summer due to being permitted additional time off following his international commitments in June. He started last Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Monaco at Chesterfield’s SMH Group Stadium and received a warm reception from those fans in attendance.

When he went off at half-time, supporters applauded and chanted the No.10’s name. He responded by making a heart shape with his hands.

After the final whistle, Nuno did not conduct interviews but defender Ola Aina said of the uncertainty surrounding his teammate’s future: “No one is unsettled or rattled. Morgan is a professional. He is here today and has been training all week.

“He is a professional. He is doing his job. Whatever is going on, that’s up to him. But everyone is happy with him and we’re all training and working hard, just like normal.”

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has refused to speak about the situation. Speaking at his first press conference as Spurs manager, Frank said: “You know me well so I will use what I’ve always said is that I won’t speak about players from outside the club.”

Should Forest sell Gibbs-White?