Morgan Gibbs-White to Manchester City remains a possibility, as Nottingham Forest look to snatch one of Pep Guardiola’s stars for a cut-price fee.
Gibbs-White was called up to the England squad before Sunday’s Premier League finale against Chelsea, another highlight in what has been a stellar season for the Forest talisman.
However, the Forest squad are expecting Gibbs-White to leave with Man City looking like his destination, giving Nuno Espírito Santo a dilemma as to how to replace the midfielder.
Gibbs-White is on City’s shortlist to replace Kevin De Bruyne, and Evangelos Marinakis will be bracing for a bid, but also eyeing a potential swoop to take one of Guardiola’s first-team regulars.
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Nottingham Forest learn tempting Matheus Nunes price tag
Marinakis has already been looking at City players to replace Gibbs-White, as James McAtee is a target for Forest.
Another Cityzen on the radar appears to be Matheus Nunes, with The Sun reporting that City could accept a cut-price fee to move the Portuguese midfielder out.
The report said: “Nunes, 26, is on the wish list for Forest chief Nuno Espirito Santo, who is a big fan of the £53 million Portuguese midfielder.
“City sources claim they would be prepared to cut their losses and let Nunes go for around £35m. A deal for England midfielder Gibbs-White would cost almost double that and Nunes could prove a useful bargaining chip.”
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Forest’s interest in Nunes is known, but learning of his price tag could see Espírito Santo push for the signing of his compatriot, who was worth significantly more when arriving at City from Wolves.
However, his role at the City Ground may not be that of a Gibbs-White replacement, given Guardiola’s rather scathing comments on Nunes’ ability as a central midfielder.
Pep Guardiola questioned Matheus Nunes’ midfield ability
Nunes’ versatility would make him an ideal option for the Forest squad, but signing him won’t necessarily solve the problem of replacing Gibbs-White.
Guardiola has used Nunes predominantly as a right-back this season, and when questioned on this, the iconic manager expressed doubts over Nunes’ ability to excel centrally.
He said: “He can become a good right-back for his physicality. I think he’s not a player to play in midfield because he’s not clever enough in the composure, but he has incredible skills and he’s learning a lot.”
Therefore, if Forest are to demand Nunes in negotiations for Gibbs-White, Marinakis will need to be aware that the Portuguese star would not directly replace his attacking midfielder, but rather become a valuable asset for the squad as a whole.
McAtee is ready to leave City, so could perhaps become the primary target to replace Gibbs-White, with Nunes more of an opportunity not to miss out on to improve the team further back.