Tottenham Hotspur are ‘confident’ of signing Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, who reportedly has a release clause in his contract.
Gibbs-White was one of Forest’s standout performers as they finished seventh in the Premier League last season.
He scored seven goals and provided 10 assists in 34 top-flight appearances, and made his England debut in September.
David Ornstein reported for The Athletic on Thursday afternoon that Spurs have turned their attention to the Forest star after agreeing a deal to sign Mohammed Kudus from West Ham.
New head coach Thomas Frank is a ‘long-term admirer’ of the England international, who is high on the recruitment lists of several clubs.
Manchester City had previously shown interest in Gibbs-White but have since signed Rayan Cherki from Lyon and Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan.
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This could leave the north Londoners with a clear run at the 25-year-old, although Forest are reluctant to sell.
Earlier reports suggested that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side value Gibbs-White at around £100million.
However, the deal is now expected to be closer to £60m, with The Telegraph reporting that there is a release clause in his contract that has gone largely unnoticed.
According to Mike McGrath and John Percy, Spurs are ‘ready to trigger’ the £60m clause that was inserted into the midfielder’s contract when he joined Forest from Wolves in August 2022.
Spurs ‘don’t anticipate any issues’, with the club expected to activate the clause to avoid lengthy negotiations with Forest.
Wolves are also in line for a 10 per cent cut of any future sale, due to a sell-on clause included in the 2022 deal.
Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano reports that talks are ongoing between the two clubs, and Gibbs-White is ‘open to the move’.
Romano wrote on X: “After Kudus deal done, Tottenham have made formal approach to Nottingham Forest for Morgan Gibbs-White.
“Official club to club talks ongoing with opening bid expected soon, as @TheAthleticFC reported.
“Gibbs-White can be open to the move, up to the clubs now.”
BBC Sport adds that Spurs have ‘opened talks over a possible £60m move’ for Gibbs-White, while also holding interest in Brentford striker Yoane Wissa.
Their report claims: “Well-placed sources have told BBC Sport that a potential move to north London for the England international is set to accelerate in the coming days.”