Nuno Gibbs white
Nuno Gibbs white
Nottingham Forest have halted Morgan Gibbs-White’s move to Tottenham because their Man City swap deal involving James McAtee has collapsed, sources have told Football Insider.
Forest were in talks to sell Gibbs-White to City with McAtee heading to the City Ground in part-exchange.
Sources have said the double deal was close to being finalised last week before Tottenham’s hijack.
The England international then changed his mind and was ready to join Spurs instead for about £60million, until the deal was dramatically halted when Forest reported Spurs to the Premier League for an alleged ‘illegal’ approach.
The 25-year-old has a release clause which Spurs are thought to have triggered, but Forest were furious with their approach and accused them of effectively tapping up the player.
It is believed that Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis’ anger stems from the U-turn from Gibbs-White and his camp.
Morgan Gibbs-White Nottingham Forest
Gibbs-White’s move to Spurs is in doubt (Credit: Imago)
Nottingham Forest close to agreeing Gibbs-White-James McAtee exchange
The east Midlands outfit were confident they had a deal in place that would have seen long-time target McAtee make the reverse move.
Should Gibbs-White go on to eventually join Tottenham this summer, it means Forest having to re-negotiate a deal for McAtee and most likely paying a higher fee for the player than if he had been part of a swap deal.
Gibbs-White was back at Forest’s training ground this week with his move to Spurs on hold.
Should Spurs be found guilty of acting improperly by a Premier League investigation, they could face a hefty fine or even a transfer ban.
Gibbs-White has top Premier League sides interested in acquiring his services after playing a pivotal role in Forest’s impressive 2024/25 campaign.
The England international started all 34 of his top-flight matches, scoring seven goals and supplying 10 assists as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side finished seventh.
Man City may not suffer too badly from missing out on Gibbs-White, due to the number of signings they secured in the early part of the transfer window.
Pep Guardiola added Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders to his squad, hugely improving the quality of his midfield.
City will now have to re-evaluate their options in the market, as well as find a new buyer for McAtee, who is expected to leave the Etihad this summer.
Rayan Cherki man city
Cherki has joined Man City (Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media)
Jack Grealish’s asking price to be slashed by Man City
Meanwhile, Jack Grealish’s exit from Man City is not likely to be confirmed until late in the summer transfer window, sources have told Football Insider.
Grealish, 29, has no long-term future at the Etihad after being left out of Guardiola’s squad for the Club World Cup last month.
Sources say that interested parties will wait until later on in the window to make a move for the England international, as City are expected to lower their asking price.
The winger could be more likely to leave on loan this summer due to his high wages, which are deterring clubs from pursuing a permanent deal.
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