Morgan Gibbs-White looked set to leave Nottingham Forest for Tottenham Hotspur only a few weeks ago, before deciding to extend his stay at the City Ground in a dramatic U-turn.
Spurs believed they had triggered a release clause in the 25-year-old attacking midfielder’s contract when bidding £60million for him on July 10.
Gibbs-White was set to undergo a medical and finalise his move to Tottenham before Forest threatened to complain to the Premier League over an alleged ‘illegal’ approach. Forest reportedly believed that a confidentiality agreement in the release clause had been breached.
The England international was keen on the move to Spurs at the time, but after the transfer was derailed, he penned a new contract with Forest, which runs until 2028.
According to The Athletic, Gibbs-White phoned Tottenham’s manager Thomas Frank ‘to apologise for the transfer not going through’.
It’s claimed that Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis played a key role in convincing Gibbs-White to stay, after having a ’30-minute conversation’ with the player in Portugal.
Marinakis reportedly pledged to continue investing in Forest’s infrastructure and new additions ahead of the new season, making clear that Forest’s ambitions aligned with Gibbs-White’s.
Nott’m Forest and Tottenham set for busy ends to the window
Forest have made four new signings this summer: striker Igor Jesus, winger Dan Ndoye, centre-back Jair Cunha, and goalkeeper Angus Gunn.
However, Nuno Espirito Santo’s business isn’t done yet, with deals for Manchester City star James McAtee, Ipswich Town winger Omari Hutchinson, and Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz progressing.
As for Tottenham, they have moved onto other targets and Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze figures highly on their shortlist, while they’re also interested in Manchester City winger Savinho, for whom they’ve had one bid rejected, per reports..
A deal for Gibbs-White would’ve looked like excellent business after James Maddison was sidelined for several months with an ACL injury, but Eze seems to be their new No 1 target in that position.
Spurs face Burnley at home in their opening Premier League fixture on Saturday, and new manager Frank will hope to get off to a good start by beating the newly-promoted side.
Forest, meanwhile, face Brentford at home on Sunday, and Gibbs-White looks set to be in Nuno’s starting XI.
FULL BREAKDOWN 👉 All the done deals by Premier League clubs in the summer 2025 transfer window
Latest Nott’m Forest, Tottenham news
🔴 Nottingham Forest closing in on £67.5m double swoop with Man City star first
⚪ Endgame IMMINENT as Tottenham hold ‘two-hour’ talks for ‘dangerous’ star who WANTS to join
⚪ Tottenham preparing £60.2m bid to land Barcelona star ALONGSIDE Eze – report