6 days ago
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The Morgan Gibbs-White transfer saga rumbles on without any breakthrough in negotiations.
Tottenham are keen on signing the player after triggering his £60million release clause, but Nottingham Forest have dug their heels in. They feel Spurs have made an illegal approach and that they should not have known the 25-year-old's contract details.
It is not a week-and-a-half since Spurs made the move to sign Gibbs-White - to be Thomas Frank's fourth summer signing - and we are still none the wiser over whether or not he will be a Tottenham player or a Nottingham Forest player at the start of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
So what has happened and what is the situation with the deal? football.london takes a look below.
What happened?
The move for Gibbs-White came out of the blue publicly, although behind the scenes Spurs have held a long-term interest in the former Wolves man; new head coach Thomas Frank wanted him at Brentford, and is known to believe the midfielder's creativity and energy make him perfect for his set-up. So the approach made sense for all parties.
Tottenham made their move and it all seemed to be accelerating quickly. However, Forest took umbrage, believing an illegal approach had been made to their player without their permission, and that the confidentiality of Gibbs-White's £60million release clause had been breached with suggestions that Spurs made a bid that was exactly what was required to release him.
Forest reportedly ended communications with the north London club and everything suddenly ground to a halt. Having already sold Anthony Elanga to Newcastle for £52million, Nuno Espirito Santo's side were not planning on losing the England midfielder as well this summer.
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Forest complaint
It was widely reported that Forest would make a complaint to the Premier League over what happened with Spurs and their transfer approach, but that has not quite happened.
Instead, they sent a letter to both Tottenham and Gibbs-White's agent threatening them with legal action over what they deem to have been an illegal approach for the 25-year-old England international.
Premier League stance
While both Forest and Tottenham have been very quiet on the situation on the record, the same can be said for the Premier League too.
football.londoncontacted the Premier League for their stance on the saga and they made it clear that they would not be commenting or providing guidance on what is happening. All understandable, really, with the legal aspect of things. So officially we're going to wait for this to run its course.
What's next for Gibbs-White?
Forest go on a pre-season tour of Portugal later this week, with games against Fulham and Estoril Praia on Saturday, July 26 and Wednesday, July 30 respectively.
Gibbs-White was named in the starting XI for Forest's 0-0 draw with Monaco on Saturday and is widely expected to be named in the travelling party for the trip to Portugal.
Gibbs-White stance
Tottenham remain hopeful that a deal will eventually get done, believing that with the release clause activated, it is simply a matter of time before it is concluded.
And Gibbs-White himself is understood to want to make the move to north London. Manchester City were previously interested in signing him, but Gibbs-White - while remaining professional and playing and training with Forest - wants a move to Spurs.
Forest have been trying to tie him down to a longer-term contract with a higher release clause but the player has turned down the opportunity to negotiate over contract talks for almost a year.
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