Manchester City are said to be “unlikely” to pursue their interest in Nottingham Forest ace Morgan Gibbs-White.
Pep Guardiola’s side have been eyeing up Gibbs-White for some time. The England international was on City’s wish-list to fill the void left by Kevin De Bruyne this summer.
However, it appears they have made progress in their pursuit of other targets. And that will come as a significant boost to the Reds’ hopes of hanging on to their star man.
It has been reported City have agreed a €55 million (£46m) fee for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders. According to talkSPORT, that means a move for Gibbs-White is “now unlikely”.
In addition to Reijnders, City also have Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki in their sights. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has said on X an agreement on personal terms has been reached for the latter and an “official bid” is due to be submitted.
Previous reports suggested Forest’s valuation of Gibbs-White, put at somewhere in the region of £70-100m, was considered too expensive by City. The 25-year-old is under contract at the City Ground until 2027 and the club are under no pressure to sell.
Gibbs-White does have other admirers. Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were previously linked, while Newcastle United were said to have him on their radar back in February.
Reds head coach Nuno Espirito Santo placed a significant emphasis on retaining the core of his squad 12 months ago, however. And the Portuguese will hope for the same this time around as Forest aim to push on in 2025/26 after securing European qualification for the first time in three decades.
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Gibbs-White has been a key figure in the Garibaldi since his summer 2022 move from Wolverhampton Wanderers. He was integral as Nuno’s men finished seventh in the Premier League table in 2024/25 to clinch their place in the UEFA Conference League.
Building on that platform is now the goal for the Reds. There will be a reshuffle of the dressing room, with ins and outs on the cards, but retaining prized assets such as Gibbs-White could be as important as any signings made.
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