Nottingham Forest would prefer to keep Morgan Gibbs-White out of the clutches of Tottenham and sell to him to a rival club.
Spurs thought they had activated a £60million release clause in Gibbs-White’s contract earlier this month but the move was halted dramatically when Forest threatened to report Spurs to the Premier League for an alleged ‘illegal’ approach.
Gibbs-White is not currently in Portugal with Forest – though this is due to a private matter unrelated to football, and he is scheduled to link up with the squad later this week.
Though the 25-year-old remains keen to join Spurs, it is understood he has shown an exemplary attitude since returning for duty on July 14.
Forest were prepared to sell Gibbs-White this summer but were unhappy with how Spurs handled their approach.
Manchester City showed a strong interest in Gibbs-White during the spring, only for the trail to go cold in the close-season as they moved instead for Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki, who cost £34m.
Nottingham Forest would rather sell Morgan Gibbs-White to a rival than let him join Tottenham
Spurs believed they had triggered a £60m release clause in Gibbs-White’s contract this month
But Forest halted the move and threatened to report them for an alleged ‘illegal’ approach
The unknown factor is how Forest respond to an eventual second offer from Spurs. Mail Sport learned in January that Gibbs-White was resisting Forest’s attempts to offer him a new deal that would at least have doubled his £60,000-a-week salary.
A second offer from Tottenham of about £65m is thought to have been discussed, though not yet submitted, and it is unclear whether this would be enough to change Forest’s stance.
Forest have already lost one key attacking player this summer after Anthony Elanga was sold to Newcastle for £55m last week, and the departure of Gibbs-White would force boss Nuno Espirito Santo to revamp his attacking plans.Â
The club still hope Callum Hudson-Odoi, who is out of contract in the summer, will sign a new deal, while Forest are interested in Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey, Manchester City’s James McAtee and Swiss attacker Dan Ndoye, who plays for Italian club Bologna.
