Nottingham Forest’s hopes of keeping hold of star man Morgan Gibbs-White have been given a boost.
Manchester City have been eyeing up the Reds ace as a potential replacement for Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian’s departure from the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season has left a significant void, and Gibbs-White has been under consideration to step into De Bruyne’s shoes.
However, City’s transfer plans have started to become clearer now the summer window is open. It appears they might not be so keen to try their luck for Gibbs-White after all.
Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki and AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders are both on boss Pep Guardiola’s list of targets. According to the Daily Mail, if City sign both players, the prospect of Gibbs-White also making the switch would be cast “into doubt”.
Additionally, GIVEMESPORT report City regard Gibbs-White as “too expensive”. The England international is said to still be on the club’s “shortlist” of options but there are concerns over the potential fee.
It was previously reported Cherki has a £20-25 million release clause in his contract. GIVEMESPORT claim the actual amount “will be higher” than that, but it is still likely to be less than would be required to try to prise Gibbs-White away from the City Ground.
Forest are well aware of the 25-year-old’s value and know he would be a very difficult man to replace. Various reports have suggested the Reds have slapped a price tag in the region of £70-100m on their prized asset’s head.
Gibbs-White is under contract on the banks of the Trent until 2027. Forest have no desire to let him go and they are not under pressure to sell.
A temporary transfer window opened for Premier League sides on Sunday (June 1). It will remain open until June 10 before closing for a short period and reopening on June 16. Clubs will then have until September 1 to get any deals done.
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City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has already indicated he wants to get business done quickly. His goal is to get signings in place before the start of the Club World Cup on June 14.
“We have clearly identified who exactly are the targets, in what positions, and we have our clear number one options, clear number two options,” he said. “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.”
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