Morgan Gibbs-White in action against Manchester City
Morgan Gibbs-White is set to sign for Tottenham
Manchester City have become experts at taking advantage of a release clause in their transfer dealings, which makes it all the more surprising that Tottenham look set to sign Morgan Gibbs-White.
City were interested in the Nottingham Forest playmaker, and there was talk of a £100million valuation towards the end of the season. However, as he prepares to undergo a medical at Spurs, it has been revealed that there was a £60million release clause in his contract at the City Ground.
That looks like excellent value for a 25-year-old who took his game to another level last season and has now made his England debut. It is a surprise City didn't try and activate that release clause and get a deal done for Gibbs-White.
This summer, they signed Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki instead. Reijnders is a box-to-box midfielder, and while Cherki can play centrally, he is just as happy cutting in from the right. It will be fascinating to see where the talented Frenchman ends up in Pep Guardiola's side.
Signing Cherki for £34million is certainly better value than Gibbs-White for £60million. Cherki is still only 21, and his performances over the last 12 months have been eye-catching.
City also have Phil Foden who can play centrally. The academy graduate had a disappointing season last term, but if he can get back to his best, he is clearly the long-term replacement for Kevin De Bruyne.
De Bruyne's departure has opened up places in midfield, and more players could follow him out the door. There needs to be another midfield sale this summer, and Bernardo Silva could leave when his contract expires at the end of next season.
It might have made sense to do a cut-price deal for Gibbs-White now, essentially to replace Silva if the captain does depart in 2026, which he has already hinted at.
There is another reason why a move for Gibbs-White might have made sense for City. Many of their sales this summer involve players classed as homegrown in squad rules set out by UEFA and the Premier League.
Kyle Walker has already moved to Burnley, and Kalvin Phillips, James McAtee, and Jack Grealish are likely to follow him out the exit door. This leaves City short of players to fill those eight homegrown slots.
For the second half of last season, City named a 21-man squad for the Premier League, which included six homegrown players. Scott Carson has left and been replaced by Marcus Bettinelli, but that list of six also includes McAtee and Grealish.
So, it makes sense for City to look at homegrown players to boost their squad. That's why Gibbs-White would have made a lot of sense, especially at £60million.
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