Nottingham Forest’s summer battle to hang on to star man Morgan Gibbs-White could come to a head sooner than expected, possibly in the next couple of weeks.
Even though the summer transfer window opens on Sunday, key deals involving high-profile players like Gibbs-White can drag on for some time.
But with Manchester City said to be keen on the Forest playmaker as a potential replacement for Kevin De Bruyne at the Etihad, the pressure is building - and much faster than at first thought.
It has now been ramped up dramatically by City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak confirming several players are being targeted to revamp Pep Guardiola’s ailing squad - but before the start of the FIFA Club World Cup on June 14.
Although Gibbs-White is not the only option City are looking at, their decision to walk away from a potential deal for Bayern Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz means the Forest man has no doubt edged up their list of targets.
Al Mubarak says City have been planning their moves in the market for some time, adding: “We have clearly identified who exactly are the targets, in what positions, and we have our clear number one options, clear number two options. We will go about our business, and it will be very clear, very swift.
“Our objective is to try to be ready with the new squad for the Club World Cup.”
The new tournament, which will see 32 teams compete in a new format across 11 US cities, means there will be two transfer windows this summer.
The first runs from Sunday until June 10, allowing qualified clubs to add players to their squads before the action starts, with a second window running from Monday, June 16 to 7pm on Monday, September 1.
It is clear that City mean to do the majority of their summer business before June 10 rather than after the tournament.
Forest have no desire to let Gibbs-White leave, but it remains to be seen what will happen if a significant offer does come in for his services, from City or elsewhere.
Amid all the transfer talk, it did not go unnoticed by Forest staff that City boss Guardiola made a beeline for Gibbs-White after his team’s FA Cup semi-final victory over Nuno’s men last month.
Addressing the transfer speculation, Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo played a straight bat, saying: "Regarding Morgan, I see him happy and I see him working hard.
“Morgan is one of the players that because we know each other so well and for so long, we don’t have to speak. But I see him well. Just leave Morgan to do his job and enjoy his football. When he does it, it is amazing.”
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