Nottingham Forest are reeling off the back of Tottenham’s shock move for Morgan Gibbs-White, with a replacement now needed to fill the hole in Nuno Espírito Santo’s squad.
In a move that happened in the blink of an eye, Spurs registered an interest in Gibbs-White and then, almost immediately, reports advanced to an agreement being in place.
The deal was able to advance rapidly as Gibbs-White had a £60m release clause in his contract, giving Evangelos Marinakis no room to negotiate a higher fee.
All eyes are on Edu and the recruitment team to find an adequate replacement now, with Nottingham Forest News speaking to transfer expert Graeme Bailey to get the latest, including information on how Manchester City’s James McAtee feels about a move to the City Ground.
James McAtee looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Aston Villa
Photo by Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images
James McAtee’s stance on replacing Morgan Gibbs-White
Forest are interested in McAtee and have been before Gibbs-White’s Tottenham move, but the intensity of that interest is, of course, set to increase given Thursday’s news.
McAtee also has interest from other Premier League teams and in Germany, but Bailey has revealed that Forest are very much in the race for the Englishman.
He said: “I understand that McAtee is a player that Forest like and are aware of, I was told even before Morgan Gibbs-White was leaving that they saw him as a central player, not a wide-man.
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“I believe McAtee would be open to a Forest move, but he is a man in demand, so it’s not straightforward.”
Undoubtedly, replacing Gibbs-White will be a monumental task and there will be doubts over McAtee’s experience, having been limited in his game time at Manchester City.
He’s not the only player on the shortlist, though, with a more ambitious option also being discussed by the recruitment team.
Nottingham Forest are also interested in Harvey Elliott
Elliot Anderson and McAtee are friends from their time in the England U21s, where they were also joined by Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, who was the side’s talisman during this summer’s European Championship glory.
According to Bailey: “Harvey Elliott has been on Forest’s radar for most of the summer – but he isn’t cheap and he also sees himself as a 10, but he is more than capable of playing wide.”
Five goals in six games for Harvey Elliott ⭐
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The fact that he can play out wide would make Elliott an interesting prospect given that Anthony Elanga also needs replacing, but signing the Liverpool man would cost significantly more than McAtee.
According to the Daily Mail, Forest are preparing a £25m bid for McAtee, and at that price, it’s understandable why the Reds may favour a move for the City maestro.