Nottingham Forest drop new Morgan Gibbs-White hint after Tottenham demand

Nottingham Forest made their plans over Morgan Gibbs-White clear by starting him in a pre-season friendly on Saturday. Gibbs-White is at the centre of a tug-of-war between Forest and Tottenham, but still turned out for his club against Monaco in Chesterfield.

Spurs have made an official £60million bid for the England midfielder – a figure which matches his release clause. Forest were furious with the offer however, accusing Tottenham of an "illegal approach" and said they would be consulting their lawyers after concerns of a confidentiality breach.

They were bemused by how Spurs knew the release clause figure and have demanded they do not make any contact with Gibbs-White, who they say is simply not for sale. It means a stalemate has broken out between the two clubs, leaving the 25-year-old in limbo ahead of the 2025/26 season.

He has reportedly held talks with the hierarchy at Forest, seeking clarity on their stance, but has maintained a professional attitude. It seems crystal clear what Forest’s plans are after he was thrown into the starting XI to face Monaco on Saturday afternoon.

READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE: Ekitike to Liverpool, Man Utd agree two deals, Gyokeres to Arsenal

READ MORE: Ruben Amorim 'patience wearing thin' despite Man Utd's Bryan Mbeumo transfer breakthrough

Gibbs-White started in the No.10 position, with Chris Wood up front and Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jota Silva on either flank. Forest changed their side at half-time, rotating the players so everyone got 45 minutes, as the match finished goalless.

Their match report notes that Gibbs-White came close to opening the scoring with a header from a Hudson-Odoi corner, but Philipp Kohn kept him out with a save. The Forest social media manager chose a picture of Gibbs-White to illustrate their kick-off graphic and there are no signs that the club are preparing to let him go.

Gibbs-White reportedly wants his future cleared up before Forest head out on their pre-season trip to Portugal on Monday. That now appears unlikely, with Spurs mulling over their next step after Forest’s aggressive riposte to their approach.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are flying to the south of Portugal on Monday, where they will take on Fulham and Estoril Praia in friendlies. After further pre-season games against Birmingham, Fiorentina and Al Qadsiah, they will begin their Premier League campaign against Brentford on August 17.

Gibbs-White was first linked with a move to Manchester City this summer after enjoying an excellent campaign in which he picked up seven goals and eight assists in the Premier League. But it was Spurs who lodged a bid after completing the signing of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham.

Forest are waiting to find out if they will play in the Europa League in the 2025/26 season after Crystal Palace were demoted to the Conference League by UEFA over multi-club ownership breaches. Forest wrote to UEFA to raise concerns about Palace’s links to Lyon via John Textor.

Forest owner, Evangelos Marinakis, who also owns the Greek side Olympiakos, placed his shares into a blind trust to comply with the rules in the event that Forest qualified for the Champions League.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.