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Arsenal and Tottenham are set to meet this week in pre-season friendly as the North London rivals gear up for the new campaign.

The Gunners have already played two matches in Asia as part of their tour, beating AC Milan and Newcastle United.

Mikel Arteta's men are looking to get close to challenging Liverpool this year in the title race, and they've strengthened in many areas.

Meanwhile, Tottenham are preparing for a new era as Thomas Frank has replaced Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs have played their pre-season ties in England so far, beating Reading and drawing with Wycombe and Luton.

Now, they are ready to take their preparations up a notch and face their bitter rivals on the other side of the world.

Arsenal vs Tottenham: Date and how to follow

This pre-season friendly will take place on Thursday, July 31.

Kick-off at the Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong is set for 12:30pm UK time.

The game will be shown on both Arsenal and Tottenham's website.

Arsenal are offering a deal for fans that allows them to watch all of the club's pre-season games for £14.99.

Alternatively, the game is available for £4.99. More information here.

And on Spursplay, it is £45 for a 12-month subscription. You must register here for access to that deal.

talkSPORT will have updates throughout the afternoon, and talkSPORT.com will have all the reaction.

To tune in to talkSPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

Arsenal vs Tottenham: Team news

The Gunners could hand a debut to Viktor Gyokeres and Cristhian Mosquera.

Gyokeres has joined the Gunners from Sporting for £64m and has flown from England to join up with his new teammates.

The striker was presented before their 3-2 win over Newcastle on Sunday and should get some minutes here.

Elsewhere, William Saliba is expected to be fit after limping off at the weekend, while Gabriel Magalhaes will also hope for some minutes.

Meanwhile, Tottenham have one new signing in Mohammed Kudus, and he'll be involved in some way here.

Destiny Udogie has been left at home after picking up an injury, while Radu Dragusin and Dejan Kulusevski also aren't on the plane.

Arsenal squad

Goalkeepers: David Raya, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Tommy Setford, Alexei Rojas-Fedorushchenko.

Defenders: William Saliba, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Riccardo Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Josh Nichols, Marli Salmon, Cristhian Mosquera

Midfielders: Martin Odegaard, Christian Norgaard, Mikel Merino, Sambi Lokonga, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Louie Copley.

Forwards: Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Ethan Nwaneri, Reiss Nelson, Kai Havertz, Ismeal Kabia, Max Dowman, Andre Harriman-Annous, Viktor Gyokeres

Tottenham squad

Goalkeepers: Brandon Austin, Luca Gunter, Antonin Kinsky, Guglielmo Vicario

Defenders: Jun'ai Byfield, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies, Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Djed Spence, Micky van de Ven, Luka Vuskovic

Midfielders: Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, Yves Bissouma, Jamie Donley, Archie Gray, James Maddison, Pape Mate Sarr, George Abbott

Forwards: Brennan Johnson, Mohammed Kudus, Will Lankshear, Wilson Odobert, Richarlison, Dominic Solanke, Heung-min Son, Mathys Tel, Yang Min-Hyeok

Arsenal vs Tottenham: What has been said?

Arsenal star Saliba can't wait to see Gyokeres in action.

He said: “We know how good he is, it’s scary to play against him..

“Of course, I’m so happy to have him in my club, and I’m sure that he will help us to win games and win trophies.

“Why scary? Because when you face a striker who scores goals, you have to be focused! But now he’s in our team and he will score for us, so that’s good.”

And on pre-season so far, he said: “There are a lot of positive things. We played two games; we won two games. There are also a lot of things to improve, but of course we have to keep going like that.

“We have three games left before the Premier League, so we have to keep going and keep winning games.”

Fantasy Premier League is back ahead of the 2025/26 season and the hunt for bargain signings is on.

If you're going to drop a hefty sum on Erling Haaland (£14m) or Mohamed Salah (£14.5m) then some penny pinching in other areas will be vital.

This year there have been some big changes too, and it might just make you think again about who you sign.

First of all, a raft of stars - including Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly - have had their positions changed.

There is also a huge change to transfers and while you might think it only applies to December, it's wise to factor it into your plans.

This year the Africa Cup of Nations will take place from Sunday, December 21, 2025 to Sunday, January 18, 2026.

To account for that you'll be able to get five free transfers - if you plot it right - in Gameweek 16. You just need to make sure you have zero left when Gameweek 15 ends.

This means you won't need to use your Free Hit chip, which takes us to another big change.

Managers will now get two sets of chips - one for each half of the campaign - so don't be afraid to take that risky Triple Captain, you've got another for later in the season.

And to top it off, outfield players could now get two FPL points if they make a combined total of 10 clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles (CBIT) in a single match,

Imagine how many points N'Golo Kante would have got? Well, stars like Moises Caicedo and Carlos Baleba might just benefit.

But who are the ultimate bargains? Check out our tips below...

Goalkeeper

Caoimhin Kelleher (Brentford) - £4.5m

We expect the ex-Liverpool star to be in most teams this season, so you may as well get on this train too.

Finally getting a shot at being No.1, the Irish goalkeeper is going to have a big job on his hands as the Bees rebuild.

Djordje Petrovic (Bournemouth) - £4.5m

The Serbian has left Chelsea and found himself at the Cherries to replace exiting loanee Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Bournemouth are having their defence raided ahead of the new season but Petrovic in his time at Chelsea and Strasbourg has shown potential to hold his own.

Defenders

Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham) - £4.5m

The ex-Manchester United right-back was a major bright spot in a tough season for the Hammers.

Two goals and six assists proved he isn't just a defensive full-back - but that will help given the new CBIT points.

Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa) - £4.5m

A consistent FPL points scorer, he's an almost guaranteed 100 points with the new defensive points system.

Meanwhile, the Villans do have a decent start to the season if you need cover for a more expensive player.

Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest) - £4.5m

The Nigerian had a breakout season at right-back for the Tricky Trees and grabbed a fine haul of 128 points last-term.

Not the greatest for goals and assists but has a defensive upside in the new system; also, he offers a good rotation option with Konsa.

Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace) - £4.5m

With a transfer away from Selhurst Park still a possibility, it might be wise to get in on the centre-back now.

He managed 116 points last-term, despite the Eagles' shocking start to the season so if they pick up where they left off he will already be on the road to a decent total.

Destiny Udogie (Tottenham) - £4.5m

Micky Van de Ven has been the popular pick in a Spurs defence likely to be more solid than last season, but the Italian full-back may be a better option.

He could be used as a marauding, overlapping full-back once more rather than an underlapping one, so expect more crosses into a dangerous area and more assists than his paltry one last year.

Midfielders

Mohammed Kudus (Tottenham) - £6.5m

We're back in north London, this time for one of their new signings.

His form dropped off as the Hammers struggled last season with his goal contributions dropping from 17 to just nine - but he could get a new lease of life at Tottenham.

Anthony Elanga (Newcastle) - £7m

What happens if you add a rapid counter-attacking winger into a team that, well, does that a lot?

Hopefully, for our sake, it equates to a similar or increased output from his 17 goal contributions last term.

Rayan Cherki (Man City) - £6.5m

The French attacking midfielder is an amazing player to watch and if he can get similar stats to last season, his addition to your team is a no-brainer.

At the Club World Cup he looked like he was already forming a great link with Erling Haaland - and that could profit FPL managers.

Moises Caicedo (Chelsea) - £5.5m

Unsurprisingly, the Ecuadorian would have got the most CBIT points last season had they been available.

He would have added 42 to his tally, finishing with 140, placing him amongst the top 20. So, think again this year.

Forwards

Dominic Solanke (Tottenham) - £7.5m

One man who could benefit from Thomas Frank's arrival at Tottenham is Solanke.

Used heavily to press and build up Spurs' attacks, he scored 10 fewer goals last season; this year he might be the focus of the attack instead.

Liam Delap (Chelsea) - £6.5m

Scoring 12 Premier League goals for a relegated team is seriously impressive.

With better service, even if he's not the starting striker for Chelsea, he will likely offer a similar output, if not better, than last season which saw him land 132 points.

Joel Piroe (Leeds) - £5.5m

Signing a striker for a promoted side is a risk, but Delap is proof it can work.

Piroe hit 19 last time and also managed seven assists so if anyone can do it, he certainly has a chance.

Jorgen Strand Larsen (Wolves) - £6.5m

Probably one of the most underrated players last season in the Premier League.

With little fanfare, the Norwegian racked up 14 goals and four assists; a similar haul would be exceptional.

Harry Kane's early doubters were exclusively from the Tottenham hierarchy, and certainly not from the stars who trained with him.

The Bayern Munich hitman is now Spurs and England’s record goalscorer, having initially endured struggles to break through.

Kane spent much of his early years on loan at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester before finding his feet in the Spurs first-team.

Tim Sherwood has since revealed that during this period, he was instructed to get rid of the striker when he was Tottenham boss.

But he resisted the pressure after believing in his abilities - and his opinion has been shared by those working up close with him.

Dominic Ball played alongside Kane at Tottenham Under-21 level, with the 31-year-old bagging a hat-trick when the pair started a 6-3 win over Manchester City in a Barclays U21 Premier League clash in 2013.

Less than 12 months later, Kane was given his first senior top-flight start for Spurs and the rest, as they say, is history.

And during an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.com, during amedia day organised by new Cambridge sponsors, Brooks Running, Ball admitted his potential was obvious.

"Yes, it was [obvious what level he was going to get to]," the new U's signing admitted.

"I only trained with him for like one pre-season, and it wasn't until I trained with him that I realised, 'all right, this guy's gonna be very difficult to play against.'

"If I open my legs to try and block, he'd put it through my legs. If I wasn't big enough, he'd rip it into the top corner.

"His finishing has taken him to a level, and then everything else he's built up mainly because he's just so focused, his mindset has always been 'I wanna be the best' and he is - He's been one of the best strikers in the world for a while."

Over a decade later, Ball has also seen first-hand another Tottenham starlet looking to emulate Kane's exact pathway at the club.

The 29-year-old spent last season at Leyton Orient alongside Spurs loanee Jamie Donley before rejoining Cambridge this summer.

Donley initially struggled to get to grips with his first taste of senior football, playing just one minute of league football last November.

However, the 20-year-old rapidly turned around his fortunes at Brisbane Road to be named the O's Player of the Year.

The Northern Ireland international scored eight goals and registered 10 assists as Orient narrowly lost in the League One play-off final to Charlton.

Donley is now hoping like Kane that his temporary stint at Orient could prove to be a springboard to success at Spurs.

Ball added to talkSPORT: "That was his first loan, his first length of games, and there was a period at the start of the season where he wasn't playing and things weren't going well, and he had a choice to make.

"Go back to Spurs and just accept a failed loan, or sort of dig deep and make it happen.

"I remember just saying to him, like Jay, even for yourself, keep training hard for yourself, because it will change.

"There are so many things happening in football out of your control, but you train hard for yourself.

"I remember saying to him in the first game that me and him played together. I was like, we're entertainers, let's relax, let's enjoy this.

"And he always said that he kept that with him, and he ended up being our most influential player.

"I don't know what his level's gonna be - whether that's Prem, Champ, or even higher.

"But I'm looking forward to seeing him sort of progress because he is a talent!"

Morgan Gibbs-White has penned a new three-year deal at Nottingham Forest to end any uncertainty over his future.

The 25-year-old looked to be heading to Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month after the north London outfit thought they had activated his £60million release clause.

Spurs had pencilled in a medical to take place, only for the deal to be put on hold.

Forest lodged a legal complaint after believing the approach from Spurs was illegal.

Thomas Frank's side had held out hope that a transfer for the England international could be rescued.

But Gibbs-White has instead pledged his long-term future to the Reds to keep him at the City Ground until 2028.

It is believed that the player's new deal does not contain a release clause.

Speaking of his delight at his new deal, the midfielder told the club's website: "I’ve felt at home at Forest from the moment I arrived.

"The support from the fans, my teammates, and everyone around the club has been unbelievable.

"I believe in what we're building here – and with the backing of Mr Marinakis and the enormous ambition he has, I want to be part of making something special.

"I’m excited for what’s to come."

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has been desperate in keeping Gibbs-White at the club.

And with the club to be taking part in their first European campaign in 30 years, he can count on the ex-Wolves star to play a starring role.

Failing to contain his delight at being able to keep his prized asset at Forest, Marinakis said: "Morgan is a special player.

"Not just in terms of talent, but character and mentality.

"He represents everything we want this football club to be: he is a winner, talented, ambitious, fearless, and proud.

“There was significant interest from various clubs, but we were determined to build our future with Morgan at the heart of it.

"I promised our fans we would not only compete, but grow stronger and stronger every season.

"Today is another big step in that journey."

Gibbs-White showed his love for Forest during the club's 0-0 draw with Monaco last weekend.

As he headed down the tunnel after the first half, he turned towards the club's fans where he clapped them and signalled a love heart in their direction.

He is currently with his teammates in the Algarve as part of their pre-season camp in Portugal.

Dom Ball has wasted little time impressing his new teammates, and anyone familiar with his life and career won't be surprised.

The ex-Tottenham youth star rejoined Cambridge United last month, following a loan stint with the U's when he was a Spurs player in 2015.

The 29-year-old has penned a two-year deal with the League Two side after a solitary season at Leyton Orient.

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT.com, during a media day organised by new Cambridge sponsors, Brooks Running, his new captain, Michael Morrison, said: "You're looking at him going, he's a leader.

"He's somebody that I want to be on the pitch with. So I think that's going to be a fantastic signing for us."

Despite making his professional debut with Cambridge over a decade ago, Ball still has plenty more to give to help the club in their EFL bid.

However, the midfielder is also prepared for his eventual life after football after experiencing the highs and lows of the game.

Four years ago, Ball graduated from the Open University after successfully completing a course in business studies at QPR.

On the origins of securing his BA honours degree, he told talkSPORT: "At Spurs, I didn't get given a pro contract, which I felt like I deserved.

"So I didn't want to feel like there was so much pressure on my football. So I decided that when I went back to Spurs as a third-year scholar, I'm gonna do a business degree, which is gonna be six years.

"If things don't work out in football, then I do have something that I can use, and actually doing that benefited my football.

"There was less pressure on that. I enjoyed my football more, and since then, I've sort of continued to do some form of studying or something outside of football that is beneficial."

One of those off-field pursuits included becoming an author, with his first book published a year after he'd completed his degree.

Ball's extremely personal story, 'From Winning Teams to Broken Dreams', details the varied experiences of six boys plucked from junior clubs as children by England’s biggest football academies.

For his part, the Englishman was released by Watford's academy when he was 15, and later left Spurs without playing a game.

His successful career across the EFL and at Scottish giants Rangers and Aberdeen has meant Ball is one of the feel-good stories.

But he's more than aware of others who didn't follow a similar pathway, having been asked whether the game has improved in pastoral care since he was an academy player.

"Yes, it has [improved], Ball continued to talkSPORT. "I think that it has in terms of duty of care for players whilst they're still involved.

"But there's still work to be done, especially for young players who are released.

"The main thing is changing that mindset and approach, so not making it in football is not seen as a failure because young players come out and it is seen as, 'Well, I've lost my dream now', and really struggle for years.

"Lads who were in my book, friends that I've met in football that haven't had a career, trying to navigate life after football is difficult, and so I think just trying to bridge that gap.

"There still needs to be progress. Clubs will do what they have to do. But I think there are things that I'm looking at doing at the moment, which hopefully will try to improve that.

"It's not easy. It's a very ruthless industry that needs to be ruthless because the level is so high, but making it not look not seem like a failure if it doesn't work out.

"More like if you do make it, it's incredible. But if you didn't, 'I gave it my best shot, I gave it everything', and now I'm looking forward to working in a different industry."

Ball's book was written to raise funds for Sarcoma UK, a charity that supports research into the rare form of bone cancer.

The disease sadly claimed the life of his childhood friend Spencer McCall, one of the other six boys, who passed away at age 26.

In 2023, Ball was rewarded for his charity work with a visit to Downing Street in an event hosted by former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, whose brother Charlie also died from the disease.

He added to talkSPORT: "The main thing for me was the cause, which is obviously my best friend, who passed away from a rare form of cancer, sarcoma, which is a Charity that I work with now.

"My book, which I wrote in memory of Spencer, has raised money for that charity.

"As an ambassador, I continue to help them to try and raise money and raise awareness, and every donation is for the charity, so it's really important to spread the word and to go [visit] Downing Street was pretty special."

Tottenham are interested in signing Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha, talkSPORT understands.

Palhinha has spent just one season at the Bundesliga giants following his £46.5million from Fulham last summer.

He was part of their title-winning side but made only six starts in the league amid fitness issues throughout the 2024/25 campaign.

The 30-year-old could leave Bayern before Deadline Day and make an instant return to the Premier League.

Europa League winners Spurs are keen on the Portugal international.

talkSPORT understands Bayern would consider bids between £20m and £25m in what would be a huge loss.

Bayern first tried to sign Palhinha in the summer of 2023 but saw a £55m move collapse on the final day of the window.

Fulham later set an asking price of £59m but then accepted a £46.5m deal that included around £4.2m in potential add-ons.

Joao Palhinha's Premier League record

Former Sporting Lisbon man Palhinha excelled across his two seasons at Craven Cottage.

He made 66 starts and scored seven goals in the Premier League, and was named as Fulham's Player of the Season in 2022/23.

Palhinha played for Portugal at the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024, featuring three and four times respectively.

A move to Spurs would offer him more Champions League football next season after their Europa League triumph.

Thomas Frank's side have sold midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to Marseille for around £17m after his loan spell in France.

Spurs have also expressed interest in Morgan Gibbs-White, but been drawn into a transfer saga with Nottingham Forest.

They initially activated his £60m release clause and was expected to complete a move by now.

But Forest have lodged a legal complaint against the north London side and their approach for the 25-year-old.

talkSPORT understands that Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis wants Manchester City to bid for Gibbs-White.

However, there is still a belief that Spurs could resurrect the transfer, depending on the outcome of the legal challenge.

Tottenham Hotspur were made to work hard but eventually they landed their target from Nottingham Forest.

Andy Reid joined the club on January 31, 2005, just minutes before the transfer window closed.

He wasn't alone either, joining Spurs alongside fellow Tricky Trees star Michael Dawson in an £8million double deal.

The Lilywhites had been chasing Reid for some time before the swoop with the club even referencing the year-long hunt in their announcement.

In the end, the Ireland international was just happy to get the move sorted.

"I am just delighted to get it done," said the 22-year-old.

"It has been talked about for a long time and now I am thrilled that is has all gone through. I am looking forward to playing Premiership football.

"I had no hesitation over signing, Tottenham is such a big club and I like the way the chairman, Frank [Arnesen] and Martin [Jol] have transformed things. They are bringing lots of young players through and I just want to be part of that."

Reid had been so keen on the move that even put in a transfer request to get the deal done.

"I feel I have no other choice than to formally state my desire to leave the club," he had said the previous August.

"After a sequence of disappointing events during the last six months I have today reluctantly submitted a transfer request."

Reid added: "I understand the club has to run itself as a business but surely a player is only worth what someone is prepared to pay and some of the values that have been placed on my head are ludicrous.

"You only have to look at the fees other clubs have paid this summer for experienced internationals who have only ever played in the Premier League to realise that I have been vastly priced out of a move."

And the pull of top-flight football alongside Republic of Ireland teammates Robbie Keane and Stephen Kelly was key too.

"It is important on the international front as well. If you are playing Premiership football it gives you more of a chance to play every game on the international scene.

"My main priority at the moment is to try and win a place in the Spurs team. I have watched the team and have been very impressed, it is a young team developing and I feel they are getting better all the time.

"I am excited and looking forward to coming in and meeting all the lads for training. I haven't spoken to Robbie yet, but I will do. I'm good mates with him and Stephen Kelly as well.

Reid enjoyed his time with Tottenham but ultimately only made 27 appearances across one year, scoring one goal.

That goal was a cracker, though, in a 5-1 thrashing of Aston Villa, thundering home from outside the box.

Reid then left for Charlton in deal worth £3m, before spells at Sunderland, Sheffield United, Blackpool, and then a return to Forest in 2011.

Dawson, meanwhile, grabbed the opportunity with both hands - just like he said he would.

"I had no doubts about the move whatsoever," he said.

"It was a couple of years ago when I was away with the [England] Under-21s and joined up with the full squad and had a training session.

"In the last couple of years it has quietened down and now Tottenham have come in and given me a chance - I want to grab it with both hands.

"There is big competition for places here and it will bring a lot out of me. I just can't wait."

In the end Dawson, with his no-nonsense defending became a mainstay in the Tottenham team, forming a heroic partnership with club icon Ledley King.

He spent almost 10 years at White Hart Lane, winning the League Cup in 2008 and featuring six-times in the 2010/11 Champions League campaign, while also becoming club captain after King's retirement.

Now Tottenham are intent on raiding Nottingham Forest for another midfielder.

This time it's Morgan Gibbs-White capturing their attention, although any deal, similar to Reid's might be protracted.

The Tricky Trees have accused Spurs of an illegal approach after triggering the England international's £60million release clause.

If he does arrive in north London, he will join recent signing Mohammed Kudus who signed for the Lilywhites in a £55million transfer.

New Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has also landed young Japanese centre-back Kota Takai this summer.

Meanwhile, loan deals for Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso have become permanent too.

Newcastle are set to bid in excess of £30million for Yoane Wissa, talkSPORT understands.

Tottenham Hotspur are also keen, but Brentford would rather keep Wissa, who they have already quoted Nottingham Forest £50m.

The forward, who has already been the subject of a rejected £25m bid by Newcastle, is pushing for a move and left the Bees' pre-season tour of Portugal amid interest from Newcastle.

talkSPORT previously reported that Brentford were ready to rebuff all offers for the DR Congo international.

Wissa, who is open to joining either Newcastle or Spurs, has been an excellent talent for Brentford since his £8.5m move from French side Lorient in 2021.

He joined the club just after their promotion to the Premier League and has gone on to make club history across his four seasons.

The 28-year-old has scored 45 goals in 137 top-flight appearances - the most ever for Brentford.

Wissa formed a strong partnership with Bryan Mbeumo as they both scored 20 goals a piece in all competitions last season.

However, Mbeumo has completed a move to Manchester United worth £65m with £6m add-ons following weeks of negotiations.

His departure has delivered a huge blow to Brentford's attack, and Wissa would only add to their woes so far this summer.

Christian Norgaard has been another sale with a £15m switch to Arsenal, whilst Mark Flekken has signed with Bayer Leverkusen.

Head coach Thomas Frank, who got Brentford promoted to the Premier League, is another name involved in the exodus.

The Dane is now at Tottenham following his seven-year stay in west London.

Despite big-name exits, with Wissa potentially next to come, Brentford have been active in terms of incomings this summer.

Dutch attacking midfielder Antoni Milambo joined from Feyenoord for around £16m.

Michael Kayode has left Fiorentina and completed a permanent move worth almost £15m following his initial loan spell at right-back.

Brenford also welcomed goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher from Liverpool in an £18m deal.

Winger Romelle Donovan is another addition from Birmingham City for around £3m, whilst Jordan Henderson has joined as a free agent.

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is hopeful Manchester City will bid to sign Morgan Gibbs-White, amid interest from Tottenham, talkSPORT understands.

The England international has been at the centre of an ongoing transfer saga, which saw Spurs initially activate his £60million release clause, and he was expected to have already completed a move.

However, the deal has since been put on hold, with Forest lodging a legal complaint over the north Londoners' approach.

Forest chief Marinakis claims Spurs' efforts to sign the attacking midfielder are illegal, and the matter is now being looked into.

There is still a belief that Tottenham could resurrect the transfer, depending on the outcome of the legal challenge.

And while they remain hopeful of adding Gibbs-White to new boss Thomas Frank's squad, Marinakis favours another move altogether.

The Greek businessman is said to want Man City to rival Spurs in their pursuit of the 25-year-old.

This is due to a previous understanding between the Forest duo, with Gibbs-White telling Marinakis at the end of last season that he would only leave the City Ground for a certain level of club.

With Spurs finishing 17th in the Premier League last season, despite winning the Europa League, Marinakis does not believe they fit into this category, hence his anger over a potential move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Should the Citizens' make a play for Gibbs-White, it wouldn't be the first time during this transfer window.

The Englishman was was a target of City's earlier in the summer, with Forest demanding huge money for their star.

talkSPORT previously reported that the Reds had slapped a £100m price tag on Gibbs-White over a potential move to the Etihad, who have since gone on to sign three midfielders.

City shelled out £34m to sign Rayan Cherki from Lyon, with widespread reports claiming they opted for the Frenchman as a cheaper alternative to Gibbs-White.

Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola has also snapped up Tijjani Reijnders [£46.3m] and Sverre Nypan [£12.5m], following club legend Kevin De Bruyne's departure to Napoli.

Forest's hope for City to join the race for Gibbs-White comes amid their interest in their league rival's young star James McAtee.

The Reds were previously said to be one of a number clubs battling to sign McAtee, who wants to leave the Etihad in search of regular game time.

Forest had planned to use City's interest in Gibbs-White as a bargaining tool in their pursuit of the playmaker.

Wherever Gibbs-White ends up plying his trade next season, there can be little doubt over the quality he would add to a team.

He was one of the Premier League's standout midfielders last term, scoring seven goals and providing a further eight assists in 34 games, as Forest qualified for the Europa Conference League with a seventh-place finish.

While the transfer saga around him rumbles on, Gibbs-White has remained professional, returning to the east Midlands for pre-season.

The former Wolves man featured in the first-half of Forest's 0-0 draw with Monaco on Saturday, while footage of him enthusiastically clapping supporters at half-time later emerged.

Marinakis and Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo will be hoping this represents a possibility that Gibbs-White could still remain at the City Ground.

Tottenham will have Sergei Rebrov to thank for not warning his Ukrainian countryman Illia Zabarnyi against following in his footsteps.

Rebrov could have been forgiven for harbouring bitterness towards Spurs after a miserable spell at the club at the turn of the century.

The 51-year-old arrived in north London with the same lofty tag that his fellow Ukrainian Zabarnyi has now at Bournemouth.

Rebrov's £11million move from Dynamo Kyiv in 2000 was supposed to represent a new era for Spurs in the new millennium.

His transfer smashed Tottenham's previous record fee of £6m that had been spent on Les Ferdinand three years prior.

Lord Alan Sugar had only spent £23m in total on new players in the 28 months from January 1998 until Rebrov's move in May 2000.

The 75-cap forward was one of the hottest properties in Europe, having attracted serious interest from Arsenal and Rangers.

But speaking after signing a five-year contract, Rebrov said of Tottenham: "They managed to find a common language with me.

"I am looking forward to playing in England. I like it better than Italian football, although I can't explain why.

"But at a club like Tottenham, there's a trainer (boss George Graham) who gets the strikers to run and get the ball. I am used to that. I have played like that all the time.

"We (my wife and I) were all set to go to Glasgow to have a look around, but there was a problem with the transfer and we couldn't complete the deal.

"Arsenal didn't do a deal because they are playing in the UEFA Cup and all their transfer policies will be decided after the Cup final."

Rebrov, alongside striker partner Andriy Shevchenko, had helped establish Dynamo Kyiv as a potent force in European football.

While the latter found a perfect home in Milan, many felt, even at the time, that Tottenham was not the right club for Rebrov.

Including from his fellow Ukrainian international Oleg Luzhny at Arsenal, who said he should 'join a bigger and better club'.

The BBC World Service interviewed top Ukrainian journalist Fidel Pavlenko, who stated: “In Ukraine, most people think Rebrov is a better goalscorer than Shevchenko.

“He’s scored more goals for Kyiv, more goals for the Ukrainian national side and more goals in the Champions League than Shevchenko.”

“Frankly it’s a step down,” Pavlenko added. “Back in Ukraine people think he deserved something bigger. He’s been involved in European football for the past seven or eight years and now he’s ended up at Spurs.”

Rebrov ignored all advice to pen a £25,000-a-week deal, but claimed four years later that the move wasn't his decision.

"In Ukraine, it's a very different situation than in England. You haven't a choice - the chairman of the club has a choice," he told the Guardian.

"Arsenal were making some offers, but Tottenham gave more, and the chairman of Kiev chose Tottenham. That's it, that's why I came."

Rebrov endured a slow start to life in England, scoring nine times in as many appearances (29) that Shevchenko had goals in his debut Serie A season.

Less than 12 months after his arrival, Daniel Levy, the managing director of Enic, who bought Spurs from Sugar, took over the club.

One of his first actions was to emulate The Apprentice star by firing manager Graham and replacing him with Glenn Hoddle.

First team opportunities for Rebrov dried up, and even an 18-month loan spell with Fenerbahce failed to repair his damaged reputation.

He managed just four goals in 38 appearances for the Turkish giants, and he was shipped out to West Ham in the Championship in 2004.

Rebrov brought his White Hart Lane to a close, having just managed to hit double-digit figures in his 60 outings for Tottenham.

Despite this, Rebrov has publicly stated he has no regrets over his decision to leave behind his homeland and join the Lilywhites.

"I don't wish I had never joined Spurs," said Rebrov, as per the Evening Standard, "I have lots of friends there and the club are not a problem for me.

"I just did not have a good relationship with the chairman, Daniel Levy, that is all."

Levy will be hoping Zabarnyi never reads that last part, having thrown his hat in the ring for the centre-back's signature.

Spurs are ready to rival European champions Paris Saint-Germain for the centre-back's signature this summer.

However, Bournemouth are not under pressure to sell the Ukrainian and would demand a substantial fee.

Last month, talkSPORT reported that they rejected a £55million bid from PSG for the 22-year-old.

In a full circle moment, Rebrov is now Ukraine's manager in charge of Zabarnyi for the country's national side.

But it's unlikely Levy will ask to put in a good word for him...