Nottingham Forest remain in a battle to keep hold of Morgan Gibbs-White, with Tottenham remaining in the driving seat for his signature.
Despite the ongoing speculation, Gibbs-White has linked up with the Forest squad in Portugal to take part in the warm-weather training camp.
Ever since Tottenham bid £60m for Gibbs-White, the 25-year-old has been in the headlines as Evangelos Marinakis continues to dispute the North London side’s approach for the midfielder.
Given that Forest have shut down communications with Spurs, speculation began that Manchester City could reignite their interest in Gibbs-White. With this in mind, Nottingham Forest News have learned which of the two clubs the Englishman would prefer to move to.
Morgan Gibbs-White’s Nottingham Forest exit preference revealed
Reds fans were unhappy when it was revealed that Gibbs-White had been refusing contract talks with Forest, suggesting that he would be happy to leave if the right club came in.
Spurs and City would both provide Gibbs-White with Champions League football, but transfer expert Graeme Bailey has provided Nottingham Forest News with information that suggests he has a clear preference.
We understand that Gibbs-White is dead set on a move to Tottenham, so much so that City have been put off returning for a move as the Englishman’s stance is clear.
Marinakis would prefer Gibbs-White to go to City to avoid dealing with Daniel Levy and Spurs, but his star player’s desire to move to Thomas Frank’s side may prove too strong to completely ignore Tottenham’s bid.
How Tottenham could finally secure Morgan Gibbs-White
Clearly, Tottenham are unlikely to secure the signing for the £60m release clause, given the ongoing dispute about how they learned about it.
Therefore, Levy will have to provide Marinakis with an incentive to return to the negotiating table, an idea explored by football finance expert Stefan Borson.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “[…] I think they’ll have to pay more than the release fee to effectively settle the claim from Marinakis. I think the reality is that Nottingham Forest are basically saying you can’t have him for the release fee, so we’re back in a negotiation.
“If it’s a release fee deal, then they’re saying you’ve induced him to breach so we’re entitled to the difference between what he’s worth and what you’ve induced him to be sold at.”
How Tottenham approach this remains to be seen, but if Gibbs-White is so certain on a move to North London, he’ll likely need his future club to cough up more money.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
