The Mirror

Tottenham thought they were about to snap up Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest after activating his £60m release clause, but his club have pulled the breaks after complaining of an illegal approach

Nottingham Forest have posted a picture of Morgan Gibbs-White returning for training amid the club's transfer row with Tottenham - after accusing their Premier League rivals of trying to illegally tap him up.

Forest have started a dispute with Spurs over their attempts to activate Gibbs-White's £60million release clause. The club claimed they were speaking with their lawyers because they didn't give the London side permission to speak to the player.

They also claimed there could be a confidentiality issue after Tottenham submitted a bid at the exact level of Gibbs-White's release clause.

Forest consider the move off for now while they consult legal help, but it is understood they will only be able to delay the move temporarily and cannot block it if Gibbs-White wants to join Spurs.

With news around the transfer dying down for the time being, Forest have shown off a picture of Gibbs-White arriving for training - after being given extra time off following his spell with the England team last month.

Forest uploaded a post on Instagram showing off a number of players heading back into training with the caption: "Back with the group," followed by a waving sign.

Gibbs-White was included in a slideshow of five players, including Chris Wood, Matz Sels and Nikola Milenkovic.

The 25-year-old has enjoyed a terrific season at the City ground after scoring seven and assisting eight in the Premier League, helping Forest quality for Europe.

His performances have also led to speculation he could join Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, but Spurs now appear to be the frontrunners and they are still hopeful of completing a deal despite the hiccup with Forest.

According to Football London, there is a feeling around Tottenham that Forest ultimately cannot stand in the player's way of leaving.

Gibbs-White is said to be highly admired by new Spurs boss Thomas Frank, who has already been busy in the transfer market by snapping up West Ham winger Mohammed Kudus.

Two loan moves have also been turned into permanent transfers after Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso did enough to secure deals.

Tottenham handed boost in £60m Morgan Gibbs-White feud with furious Nottingham Forest

Spurs looked nailed on to sign the 25-year-old after triggering his £60million release clause, with a medical lined up for the England international - but Nottingham Forest were left furious

Tottenham are still hopeful they can wrap up a deal for Morgan Gibbs-White despite a furious row with his club Nottingham Forest over claims the London side illegally tapped the player up.

Spurs looked nailed on to sign the 25-year-old after triggering his £60million release clause, with a medical lined up for the England international.

But Forest came firing back and claimed they had not given permission for Tottenham to speak to the player and were consulting with their lawyers over a possible breach of confidentiality regarding the release clause.

There has been some confusion over the dispute, with some fans questioning how Forest can stand in the way of a player whose release clause has been activated.

But Forest are set to lodge a complaint with the Premier League after Spurs submitted a bid at the exact number from his release clause.

However, Spurs are still optimistic about sealing a move for Gibbs-White and the current feeling around the club is that Forest can only delay the transfer - not block it.

Gibbs-White was not present in the matchday squad for Forest's first pre-season friendly as the team drew 0-0 with Chesterfield and there has been speculation that the ongoing transfer saga was the cause.

But in fact, the England star was never due to return at this point after being part of the group of players who featured on international duty last month - and was set to come back to training next week.

Gibbs-White is a player who has been long admired by new boss Thomas Frank after his impressive displays for Forest in midfield in recent seasons. In the 2024-25 campaign, he scored seven times and assisted eight goals leading to plenty of interest in his signature - including from Manchester City.

Spurs have already made three signings this summer, with Mohammed Kudus arriving from West Ham for £55m.

Tottenham have also taken up the option to sign Mathys Tel from Bayern and Kevin Danso from Lens permanently following their loan spells.

Morgan Gibbs-White transfer: Tottenham private thoughts on deal after massive twist

Tottenham are pursuing a move for Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White but they are now threatening legal action as they believe they made an illegal approach

Tottenham remain confident that they can still secure the signing of Morgan Gibbs-White despite an inevitable delay as they're accused of tapping up the Nottingham Forest forward.

Those at the City Ground have been angered by the approach taken by those from north London and have threatened legal action. Forest insist they have not given Spurs permission to speak to Gibbs-White and are willing to go how far is required to prevent the transfer taking place.

Premier League rules state that clubs are not allowed to talk to players under contract with another team unless they have permission. Tottenham were set to trigger the player's £60million release clause with a medical to be held on Friday.

Forest's anger and subsequent threat will see the deal now drag on, but Tottenham still remain confident they will get their man, who had been on Manchester City's radar earlier this summer.

Forest have cut off communications at this time but football.london understands Tottenham remain hopeful of getting the deal over the line whilst they accept that a delay will be inevitable.

Some at the City Ground are understood to have accepted that they could be powerless to stop the transfer should Spurs do it all through the proper channels given Gibbs-White's release clause and apparent desire to make the move to the capital.

Forest qualified for Europe last season and, after Crystal Palace's demise to the Europa Conference League, will now play in the Europa League. Nuno Espirito Santo has just seen Antony Elanga, another of his key attacking weapons, leave to join Newcastle for £55m.

The club will be loathed to lose another of their leading lights but Tottenham may well eventually get their man as they hit the market hard with Thomas Frank now at the helm. Despite winning the Europa League the club endured a dire Premier League campaign last time out.

They have wasted no time bolstering their ranks though with the £55m signing of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham completed this week. Should Gibbs-White join that would take the spending under Frank to £150m, which includes Mathys Tel's loan move being made permanent from Bayern Munich.

Spurs are making big moves under Thomas Frank in the market as they look to make a big impact in the 2025-26 Premier League season and Champions League, with two major deals wrapped up

Tottenham are really moving through the gears in this transfer window after a quiet start - wrapping up a deal for £55m West Ham winger Mohammed Kudus and closing in on a move for £60m Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White.

Thomas Frank is making some big moves in the market following his arrival from Brentford as he looks to revamp the team's attack following their 17th placed finish last season.

Spurs underachieved in the Premier League under predecessor Ange Postecoglou despite winning the Europa League, which makes them a more attractive option to players after qualifying for Champions League football.

And having secured passage to Europe's top competition, the north London side have now sealed four permanent transfers as they look to help Frank hit the ground running.

With that in mind, Mirror Football has taken a look at how Frank could line-up with his new signings and further potential targets this coming season.

Goalkeeper and defence is quite straight-forward and in theory should pick itself. Vicario starts in goal and it doesn't look like Spurs are looking to displace him. Frank has previously stated how much he admires Pedro Porro, so he should be the first choice right-back.

At centre-back, Cristian Romero and Mickey van de Ven are the undisputed partnership - so long as the former doesn't join Atletico Madrid amid growing links - with Destiny Udogie at left-back.

Midfield is where is gets much trickier for the Danish manager as he'll have plenty of options to play around with. Spurs fans have been crying out for a new No 6 and Adam Wharton has been linked, but for now he might prefer to play with the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall for his midfield pivot. Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr represent solid back-up options.

Going forwards, Kudus will be hoping to start on that right flank for Spurs, despite competition with Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski.

Kulusevski can also play in the No 10 role, but Gibbs-White should get the nod in that position - though James Maddison also represents a quality option there too. Overall, Frank has plenty of options to pick in the attacking areas, as Kudus can also operate behind the striker.

On the left, Frank has captain Son Heung-min, Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel to choose from, though it could be the latter who starts on the left due to his explosive pace and flair.

In attack, Spurs have been linked with a £50m move for Frank's old Brentford forward Yoane Wissa and should the club get that deal over the line, you would wager that the new coach will favour him over Dominic Solanke.

Potential Tottenham XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Bergvall; Gibbs-White; Kudus, Tel; Wissa

Tottenham are closing in on their third signing of the summer with Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White, who was admired by Manchester United, set to arrive in a £60m deal

Tottenham will soon seal a coup over Manchester United and Ruben Amorim, following their earlier setback with Bryan Mbeumo. The Red Devils are still keen on landing the Brentford striker, who prefers Manchester over North London, but have missed out on Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White and West Ham's Mohammed Kudus to Spurs.

The Europa League victors have kicked off their summer spending, having only signed Japanese prospect Kota Takai before this week, and sealed a £55million deal for the Hammers' Kudus on Thursday evening.

Spurs are also nearing a deal for Gibbs-White after meeting the Forest playmaker's £60m buy-out fee, and he is set for a medical at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday, with his arrival imminent.

Red Devils head coach Amorim has been handed a double blow in light of these moves, as he has shown admiration for both players in the past. Spurs have gotten their revenge after their efforts to sign Mbeumo were rebuffed, with the Cameroonian expressing his preference for United.

Earlier in the year, United's interest in Gibbs-White was exposed by ex-chief scout Mick Brown, who disclosed Amorim's admiration for him, speaking to Football Insider.

"United have been looking at Morgan Gibbs-White. He's a player who is highly mobile, works very hard, and has this sort of dynamism to his game," he revealed.

"That's something Ruben Amorim likes and needs in the system he wants to play. I'm told Amorim is a big fan of Gibbs-White from what he's seen.

"He's spoken before about Mason Mount, who's been injured, but is not too dissimilar to Gibbs-White in terms of the role they would play. I think that's a move United will be interested in if they can tempt him to leave Forest.

"Whether they'd be able to get it done, because of their financial situation, is unclear. Nottingham Forest won't let Gibbs-White go cheaply. It will be a huge fee to tempt them into selling."

The Guardian also reported just last week that Kudus was on Amorim's list of potential attacking summer recruits, but the Ghanaian evidently chose Tottenham.

While United's initial intrigue in Gibbs-White and Kudus waned as they pursued other offensive reinforcements, the club has successfully acquired Wolves ace Matheus Cunha for a lofty £62.5m and are still in negotiations over Mbeumo, whose price tag remains a sticking point, reports the Express.

There are murmurs that Brentford may have underestimated Mbeumo's worth, particularly after Forest accepted a whopping £55m bid for Anthony Elanga and with Chelsea's Noni Madueke set to join Arsenal for more than £50m.

According to the Evening Standard, after a 20-goal haul in last season's Premier League, Brentford believe their £63m valuation of Mbeumo might be on the low side. This spells potential trouble for United, who are eager for a team overhaul but must stay within PSR parameters.

Tottenham Hotspur have completed a sensational £55m deal for West Ham star Mohammed Kudus. Speaking in Spurs' announcement video, he sent a cheeky message saying 'I only wanted Spurs'.

Kudus has reportedly signed a six-year deal with Spurs following his move across the capital. The Ghanaian will wear the number 20 shirt as a Spurs player. West Ham penned a short statement confirming his exit.

It read: "West Ham United can confirm that Mohammed Kudus has completed a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur for an undisclosed fee.

"The 24-year-old Ghana international departs having made 80 appearances and scored 19 goals during a two-year spell with the Hammers. West Ham United would like to thank Mohammed for his service and wish him well for the future."

Kudus will not have to wait particularly long to be reunited with his former side. Spurs travel to West Ham in September in the Premier League, while his competitive debut for his new side could potentially come against European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup.

Kudus' move to Spurs comes on the same day that they decided to activate a £60m release clause in the contract of Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White. The pair would take Spurs' spending to close to £200m this summer, with new boss Thomas Frank having been well backed in the market.

The North London side have signed Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel on permanent deals from Lens and Bayern Munich respectively, while they have also signed Luka Vuskovic from Dinamo Zagreb. A deal has also been agreed for Kota Takai from J1 League side Kawasaki Frontale.

Spurs were previously interested in a move for Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo, with Frank keen to be reunited with the forward. But Premier League rivals Manchester United appeared to be favoured by Mbeumo.

But as it stands, a deal is still to be rubber stamped. The Red Devils have already had two bids turned down for Mbeumo but are still keen to sign him before they fly to the USA for a pre-season tour.

Is Kudus a good signing for Spurs? Share your thoughts in the comments below

Spurs will certainly be hopeful that their outlay allows them a better season than last time. The North London side finished 17th in the Premier League table under Ange Postecoglou, who was eventually sacked.

The Australian however did manage to lead the club back into the Champions League as they won the Europa League against Manchester United.

Nottingham Forest could be saying farewell to another key player with Morgan Gibbs-White's £60m release clause set to be met by Spurs as they seek to boost their squad ahead of a return to the Champions League

Morgan Gibbs-White is set for a medical at Tottenham Hotspur this morning after they triggered his £60m release clause at Nottingham Forest.

And the midfielder, 25, could be confirmed as Spurs’ latest signing by the weekend with personal terms considered to be no issue as new head coach Thomas Frank looks to bolster his squad.

Forest were under no financial pressure to sell Gibbs-White, having already sanctioned the £55m sale of Anthony Elanga to Newcastle earlier this week.

But once Gibbs-White’s release clause was met they had little option but to prepare for the departure of the England international. Manchester City had also been weighing up a move only to cool their interest in the past fortnight.

Gibbs-White, whose Forest contract had two years remaining, moved to the City Ground from Wolves in August 2022 for an initial fee of £25m plus £17m in add-ons and Wolves stand to earn a 10 per cent cut from any profit made on his sale.

He was a key figure last season as Forest returned to Europe for the first time since 1995-96, scoring seven goals and providing eight assists in 34 league appearances.

But they fell out of the Champions League places late in the season and will instead participate in the Conference League.

Spurs are also pushing ahead with a move to sign Mohammed Kudus from West Ham for £55m with new boss Frank preparing for the club’s return to the Champions League.

On Tuesday they confirmed the arrival of Japan defender Kota Takai, 20, from Kawasaki Frontale for £5m, having also made loan agreements with Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel permanent.

Forest, meanwhile, are expected to reinvest heavily in the coming weeks.

They have banked £16.8m from the departures of Ramon Sosa and Andrew Omobamidele to Palmeiras and Strasbourg.

There remains a chance they could be promoted to the Europa League should UEFA rule in the coming days that Crystal Palace are unable to compete because of multiclub ownership rules relating to shareholder John Textor's majority stake in Lyon.

If Palace are blocked from the Europa League they could drop down to the Conference League.

But that is complicated by Brondby, who are owned by another of Palace’s minority owners David Blitzer, already qualifying for that competition via the Danish league. And that ranking takes precedence over teams who qualify by winning a domestic cup competition.

In the event that Palace are denied entry to both competitions their bitter rivals Brighton may find themselves in the Conference League on account of finishing ninth in last season’s Premier League with Nottingham Forest promoted to the Europa.

Henderson to Sunderland?

Jordan Henderson is unlikely to return to Sunderland this summer.

That's according to The Northern Echo, who have played down talk of such a move after fresh speculation overnight.

Henderson, 35, is a free agent after deciding to leave Ajax at the end of his contract.

Al-Hilal plot Sesko bid

Arsenal might not be signing Benjamin Sesko, but Al-Hilal would certainly like to.

The Sun say they will try and lure the RB Leipzig frontman to Saudi Arabia after missing out on a deal for Victor Osimhen.

Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta is among their back-up targets.

Spurs close on Kudus

As well as weighing up a move for Yoane Wissa, Tottenham are also set to snap up Mohammed Kudus.

The Athletic revealed yesterday that Spurs have agreed a £55m deal to sign the Ghana star from their bitter rivals, West Ham.

Kudus is expected to finalise his switch across London shortly.

Man Utd's Mbeumo worry

Manchester United are still confident of striking a deal for Bryan Mbeumo.

However, Sky Sports claim that Tottenham are interested in the Brentford star's striker partner, Yoane Wissa. And that could scupper United's chances of landing Mbeumo.

To put it bluntly, the Bees do not want to lose both stars. Which could give United food for thought as they continue to try and strike a deal for Mbeumo...

Arsenal's big Gyokeres decision

The Arsenal have finally decided on their primary striker target.

But will they stump up the cash Sporting want for Viktor Gyokeres?

A delegation led by Andrea Berta failed to strike a deal for the Swede during face-to-face talks in Portugal last week. Word is that Arsenal's offer of €65million plus a further €15m in add-ons is not enough for the Portuguese champions, who want a guaranteed €70m for their star striker, per The Independent.

Will Arsenal change the structure of their deal to finally land the top No 9 they need? We should find out shortly...

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our live transfer news blog.

As always, there's plenty to get stuck into, so lets get started...

The Premier League is the target of many football players across the world, but one star, after being linked with Chelsea and Tottenham in the past, looks to be getting his move

Crystal Palace are on the verge of signing former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur target Borna Sosa from Ajax. The left-back was recently given permission to travel to the UK by the Amsterdam side ahead of a £2million move to Selhurst Park, according to reports.

Oliver Glasner is believed to be looking for competition at left-back for Tyrick Mitchell. Last season, they loaned Ben Chilwell, but there are no signs that they will be signing the out-of-favour Chelsea defender permanently.

Sosa, 27, made 20 appearances on loan at Torino last season and also has 26 international caps for Croatia. He played a huge role in his country's run to the semi-final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, starting all but one match on their run to the last four.

According to The Athletic, Sosa was scheduled to undergo a medical last Monday. He has previously been linked with a move to Chelsea when Thomas Tuchel was still in charge of the west Londoners.

Antonio Conte was also keen to bring him to Tottenham during his fiery reign in north London. However, a move never came to fruition, despite Sosa saying he had always wanted to play in the Premier League.

In a past interview with Sportske Novosti in March 2022, when Sosa was still playing for Bundesliga side Stuttgart, Sosa said: " I can confirm that I have a lot of interest.

"That is a fact. A lot of people are calling me. The summer transfer window is approaching. We know that negotiations start early, usually in April. And that’s in less than a month. I can say that the time has come for me to take a new step in my career."

He added: "(The Premier League) I would say is by far the strongest league, and it is clear that the goal of every footballer is to play in the strongest leagues in the world. Definitely, I have a great desire to play in the Premier League. I can also tell you that I was very, very close to leaving last winter. However, the club decided not to let me go.

"But I got a promise. And it reads, 'If I get a satisfactory offer in the summer, I can leave.' We agreed to find the best solution together. But I say, I’m still in Stuttgart, we’ll see what opens in the summer."

A move to Chelsea or Tottenham did not suffice in the following summer. Instead, the Blues forked out £52.5million to sign Marc Cucurella from Brighton and Hove Albion, while Spurs bought Destiny Udogie, Ivan Perisic and Djed Spence from Udinese, Inter Milan and Nottingham Forest, respectively.

After Stuttgart maintained their place in the Bundesliga during the 2021/22 season, Sosa remained with the German side for another season, before moving to Ajax one year later. In the following campaign, he was loaned to Torino by the Dutch heavyweights.

Now he looks set to become Palace's second signing of the summer. The Eagles have already secured the signature of Argentinian goalkeeper Walter Benitez, who joined on a free transfer from PSV Eindhoven.

Tottenham have had a relatively quiet transfer window so far but have announced their first new addition of the summer after signing Japanese defender Kota Takai, who will add to Thomas Frank's defensive options

Tottenham have announced the signing of Japanese defender Kota Takai from J1 League outfit Kawasaki Frontale, with the centre-back joining Thomas Frank's men on a five-year deal.

The 20-year-old becomes the club's second transfer of the summer after completing a permanent deal for loanee Mathys Tel. Defender Kevin Danso also joined permanently at the end of last season.

Frank will be grateful for a new addition in defence after Radu Dragusin was ruled out for a lengthy spell after suffering a serious ACL injury in February, with the Romanian not expected back until the end of the year.

Takai will compete for a starting spot with first choice pairing Cristian Romero and Mickey van de Ven as well as Danso and will hope to make a quick impact after being named Japan's young player of the year in 2024.

"We are delighted to announce the signing of Kota Takai from J1 League side Kawasaki Frontale, subject to international clearance and work permit," Tottenham said in a statement.

"The Japan international defender has agreed a deal with the club that will run until 2030."

Takai made his international debut in September in a 7-0 World Cup qualifying win over China having helped his club side to an eighth-placed finish domestically last season.

Takai has made four senior appearances for his country, having broken into Kawasaki’s first team in 2022 at the age of just 17.

He made a total of 81 senior appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring four goals, and helped them reach the 2025 AFC Champions League final.

Frank will still be hoping for more signings as he continues to stamp his mark on the squad since taking over from Ange Postecoglou last month.

Spurs are in talks with West Ham to sign winger Mohammed Kudus, but they have seen a £50million bid rejected after reportedly including "unrealistic" add-ons.

It was claimed by talkSport that Tottenham's add-ons would only be triggered if they won the Premier League or Champions League, with West Ham demanding a guaranteed £60m.

The Europa League champions have also been linked with Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze and Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo - but appear to have cooled their interest in the latter two.