Football London

Son Heung-min faces a crossroads at Tottenham Hotspur this summer as he closes in on the final 11 months of his contract at the north London club.

The South Korean star turned 33 earlier this month and he has seen it all while at Spurs. Son went from wanting to leave the club just one year in before being convinced by Mauricio Pochettino to stay, to then forming a lethal partnership with Harry Kane, then came the despair of the 2019 Champions League final, a Puskas Award-winning solo goal, the Premier League Golden Boot and then finally two months ago becoming the first captain to lift a European trophy at Tottenham in 41 years.

Son is a legend at the club. Even the modest skipper admitted himself on that May evening in Bilbao that he could be considered one but for one night only if the rest of the team were as well. He has notched up 173 goals and 101 assists in 454 matches for Spurs and 204 goal involvements in 333 matches in the Premier League alone. He is one of the most recognisable names in the competition.

Now though his future remains clouded. football.london reported on MLS interest for Son early last month with his former Spurs team-mate Hugo Lloris at LAFC and now the Los Angeles side are reportedly trying to put together a move for him. With Saudi Pro League clubs also interested, those inside Tottenham maintain they have received no bids at this time for their captain.

Son is more open to a Spurs exit than he has been since that first summer after joining from Bayer Leverkusen. Those who worked with him last season got the sense that he was preparing himself for a potential Tottenham departure and the Europa League triumph was the perfect icing on the cake to secure his decade-long legacy at the club.

It ended a season in which Son struggled to find any rhythm with hamstring and foot injuries and ended up with just seven goals in the Premier League, his lowest total since the season he arrived at the club all the way back in 2015. Yet he still finished it by doing something so few Spurs captains before him were able to.

Spurs took up the option on Son's contract in January to ensure he was not a free agent this summer. While the club will be guided by what the South Korean star wants to do, that extra 11 months ensures they are unlikely to lose him for nothing unless he sees out his final season with another go at the Champions League.

It's worth noting though that Lloris did end up remaining at Tottenham in his final season for another six months before departing for Los Angeles on a free transfer in the January window. That the MLS regular season runs from late February until October makes it somewhat awkward for summer signings and next season's campaign will be interrupted by the World Cup.

Major League Soccer could be a good fit for Son on every level. It would give him a growing stage to star on alongside Lionel Messi at Inter Miami and LA has the biggest Korean population in the USA.

New Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank has not been able to confirm that Son will be staying for his first season in charge. In fact, he went as far as admitting that he has not even made a final decision on who his captain will be for this season. Hardly a ringing endorsement for the current skipper.

When asked whether Son should be able to dictate his own future, the Dane said: "It’s always tricky, situations like that. If that happens. Right now I have a player that is fully committed and training well, and will play tomorrow.

"If a player has been at a club a long time, then there will always be a decision for the club to take of course. And of course, the head coach and the guys who are in charge and this case will be with Daniel [Levy] and Johan [Lange]. Because there is something in it if someone wants to leave at a certain stage, then there can be something there. But the club will always decide in the end, of course."

If Son does remain at the club then Frank will have to decide how to use him best. The debate has always raged over whether he's better through the middle or down the left flank cutting in. Ange Postecoglou's system needed him to remain wide and hit the touchline and it never looked like an entirely comfortable fit. Jose Mourinho got the best out of Son in his prime, using him as a runner beyond Kane as the England captain dropped deep and picked out his team-mate's runs.

In his first match for Frank at Reading last Saturday, Son looked to be kept out wide on the left as he did under Postecoglou and although he won the two corners that led to the goals for Spurs, he never looked right and after the game appeared to be suffering from a back problem.

This Saturday brings matches against Wycombe and Luton, with Son set to play in one of them if fit, either at the training ground or at Kenilworth Road. Then comes the club's latest summer tour across the world.

With football.london having reported before that Son has tied up most of his image rights abroad himself - you are unlikely to find him on advertising in a Spurs shirt other than for match promotion - Tottenham actually make less from the Korean superstar than many imagine.

That's not to say it's nothing by any stretch of the imagination. The main income gained from the player comes from the lucrative pre-season tours to the Asia-Pacific region and Spurs have accordingly toured there every season since 2019 - barring the pandemic-affected summers. Some reports over the years have estimated the figure earned from each tour at as much as £10million.

Those tours and Son's mere presence at the club have also had a knock-on effect with brand interest in that big market for the club with sponsorship opportunities as well as the sheer number of supporters from that region who now follow Tottenham and those who could remain interested once the captain moves on to the next chapter in his career.

Spurs will arrive in Hong Kong on Monday before heading to Son's homeland of South Korea later in the week with friendlies against Arsenal and Newcastle in those locations. There are financial penalties involved if the club's big names do not appear in tour games and of course Son is the biggest of them all.

After that tour there awaits a potential reunion with Kane in Munich before a chance to win another piece of silverware with the UEFA Super Cup against PSG in Udine.

Ultimately Son should decide what comes next. He's given everything to Tottenham for 10 years and managed to complete that decade with the rarest of things at the club in the modern era - silverware. He would have left a legend regardless.

As Ashley Phillips walked out of the Hotspur Way doors this week before heading back to Stoke City he must have wondered if it was the last time he would work at Tottenham's training complex.

Still just 20-years-old and with plenty of praise from the clubs he has played at, it just hasn't worked out for the big centre back at the north London club. Since Phillips was signed from Blackburn in the summer of 2023, he has played 59 senior matches of football but not one of them has been for Spurs.

Tottenham activated the £2million release clause for the Salford-born youngster two years ago after he had made eight appearances for Championship club Blackburn before turning 18. Initially under Ange Postecoglou it looked promising for Phillips as he spent much of the first three months of the Premier League season in matchday squads, often ahead of the more experienced Eric Dier.

An ankle injury knocked him out of action for a month before Christmas, but he returned to the bench after that before Postecoglou decided he needed to go out on loan and play regularly.

The teenager duly did, making the move back to the Championship and Plymouth Argyle. Phillips starred there, helping Plymouth avoid relegation and he was named their Young Player of the Season despite only playing for half of it. He returned that summer and played a couple of pre-season friendly games but Postecoglou and his coaching staff were still not convinced that the youngster was ready for the Premier League.

Another loan came with a move to Stoke City and it brought a season that helped fortify Phillip's mental strength. Initially struggling to get into the team in the first couple of months, he grabbed his chance when it came and remained a near ever-present as three different managers tried their luck with the Potters.

The season also brought his first senior goal with a delightful back flick against then Premier League side Southampton in the Carabao Cup. In all Phillips made 39 appearances for Stoke and helped them to a final day escape from relegation.

With Postecoglou gone, Phillips might have hoped he would get a look in at Spurs on his return. The Australian's replacement Thomas Frank wanted to size up the England U20 international this summer at Hotspur Way but it was always going to be tough with the arrival of Luka Vuskovic and Kota Takai on top of the established senior centre-backs Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies.

The same appears to be the case for academy centre-back Alfie Dorrington, who has returned on loan to Aberdeen. At least he has played for Tottenham, making his debut in the Premier League during last season's win at Southampton.

The writing appeared to be on the wall for Phillips at Reading on Saturday when he was one of the three players on the bench who never got to come on, the 18-year-old Vuskovic chosen instead and scoring in an impressive debut.

Just a few days later and Phillips, who has three years left on his contract, was on his way back to Stoke, a place where he is most definitely wanted.

Stoke City Sporting Director Jonathan Walters said: "Being able to bring Ashley back to Stoke City despite plenty of competition is down to him loving his time here last season so much, and a lot of work that took place behind the scenes to make it happen. I know the support he received from our fans was a huge part of his positive experience of our club and I’m looking forward to seeing that bond develop even further.

"With the attributes he has and what he’s already achieved as a central defender at such a young age, Ashley, for me, is a potential full international of the future. To have him playing for us for another season is a significant coup and we all can’t wait to see him back on the field in a Stoke City shirt, doing what he does best for the Potters."

Phillips' own words were perhaps telling, saying he feels valued at the Championship club.

"It feels like unfinished business. I am absolutely buzzing to be back. I feel really valued, the coaching staff are brilliant, the gaffer has been amazing with me and presented me with the plan he has to help me to develop, it made it a no brainer," said the centre-back.

"Working with Ryan Shawcross in particular is great for me. He helped my game immeasurably last year and I am sure that will be the case again this season. Also, through thick and thin, our fans have turned up and supported us. They have been great to me, I know they will continue to be, and we will need them throughout the whole season."

The path at Tottenham is packed and currently blocked for Phillips. Whether it eventually clears or not, the young centre-back looks set to have a very good professional career ahead of him.

Viktor Gyokeres is not yet an Arsenal player despite the Gunners reaching a verbal agreement with Sporting CP for the striker.

football.london understands a deal worth an initial €63.5million (£55million), plus €10million (£8.7million) in add-ons, has been agreed between the two sides. The structure of the deal has been the obstacle in recent weeks but it was reported this week that talks are now at an extremely advanced stage.

Once the finishing touches are complete, the 27-year-old is expected to complete his medical and potentially then fly out to Asia to join up with his new teammates. Mikel Arteta and his squad flew to Singapore last Saturday and ran out 1-0 winners against AC Milan in their first pre-season friendly on Wednesday.

The Gunners are set to play Newcastle United on Sunday before they jet off to Hong Kong for one final pre-season friendly in the Far East. That game happens to be against north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and will be the first ever North London Derby played abroad.

It is against Spurs on Wednesday, July 31 where supporters may see Gyokeres in an Arsenal shirt for the first time. Sunday's clash against Newcastle will probably come too soon but the fixture against Tottenham three days later seems more realistic.

Arteta had wanted Gyokeres signed ahead of the Asia pre-season tour so will want the Swede to join up with the group ASAP. Games against Villarreal and Athletic Club at Emirates Stadium will follow before the Premier League opener against Manchester United on August 17.

The fact Gyokeres could make his Arsenal debut against Tottenham is extremely interesting and would give the former Coventry and Brighton man the perfect opportunity to immediately win over fans. It would also give Gyokeres a small taste of what it is like facing a Premier League opponent ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Gyokeres scored 54 goals in 52 games last season so clearly knows where the net is, and the clinical finisher will want to get his Arsenal account up and running sooner rather than later. If all goes to plan, the pre-season friendly against Tottenham could be the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Morgan Gibbs-White has posted a message on social media amid continued speculation linking the Nottingham Forest star to Tottenham Hotspur.

The 25-year-old midfielder is now with his Forest teammates in Portugal after originally not flying out with the squad earlier this week due to personal matters. Nuno Espirito Santo's side flew to Portugal on Monday for their pre-season tour, with friendlies against Fulham on Saturday, July 26 and Estoril on Wednesday, July 30 pencilled in.

The former Wolves man has been at the centre of a transfer saga involving Tottenham this summer, with the Lilywhites making an approach earlier this month which triggered the £60million release clause in the midfielder's contract. Forest are claiming that an illegal approach was made, however, and believe the confidential nature of that clause was breached.

Forest claim Tottenham submitted a bid worth the exact amount required to trigger the release clause. While the move is now ensnared in legal matters between the two clubs, it's believed both Tottenham and Gibbs-White still want the move to happen but it's seen as a delicate situation.

Amid the constant speculation, Gibbs-White posted on Instagram on Thursday. Tagging in clothing brand Harvey Nichols, as well as Harvey Nichols Menswear, the England international shared a video of himself in a number of the brand's pieces. "My High Summer Edit with @harveynichols @harveynicholsmen #ad," Gibbs-White wrote.

Gibbs-White started for his current side in Saturday's pre-season friendly against Monaco, which was on the same day Tottenham beat Reading 2-0. All eyes will now be on if the attacking midfielder features against Fulham this Saturday.

"You know me well so I will use what I've always said and that is that I won't speak about players from outside the club," Thomas Frank said when asked about the club's pursuit of Gibbs-White.

For Tottenham, the players and coaching staff have been hard at work this week as they prepare for two friendlies on Saturday. Spurs face Wycombe at 11am before a different group of players feature against Luton Town at 3pm.

Tottenham will take on a Newcastle United side without Alexander Isak in South Korea next week after the striker was left out of their tour squad.

Spurs face a friendly double header this weekend against Wycombe Wanderers and Luton Town as new head coach Thomas Frank attempts to get minutes into the legs of the 32 fit and available first team players in his big squad. After those games Tottenham will fly off to begin their summer tour to Asia.

It is a shorter two-game tour this summer which first brings a handful of days in Hong Kong with a match against local rivals Arsenal at the Kai Tak Stadium and then Tottenham will fly on to South Korea where they will take on Eddie Howe's Newcastle side at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

While Arsenal will have a bumper squad packed with their new signings, Newcastle will be without their star man Isak after he was left out of their squad to fly to Singapore and South Korea, where they will play Arsenal and a K-League XI before taking on Spurs.

Isak, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool among others, is struggling with a thigh problem, although reportedly the 25-year-old has told Newcastle that he wants to explore a move away.

A Newcastle statement on their tour squad read: "Eddie Howe has an almost fully-fit squad to choose from, however Alexander Isak misses out with a minor thigh injury. Lewis Hall is available following an injury lay-off and could feature in South Korea."

Isak has caused problems galore for Tottenham over recent seasons and now the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and newcomers Luka Vuskovic and Kota Takai will not have to deal with the Swedish international during the match in Korea.

The striker did not play a part in the 4-0 defeat at Celtic on Saturday with Howe confirming he was left out of that encounter due to the speculation around him.

"I decided to send him home due to the speculation around him," he said. "The last thing he wanted is to be sat in the stand watching, that wasn’t fair to him."

When asked if he could guarantee Newcastle will keep Isak, Howe said: "It is difficult for me to sit here and give 100% clarity on any player. I'd never sit here and do that. It is football and you never know what can happen. All I can say is that Alex is happy at Newcastle, he loves the players and staff, the team.

"I have never had any issue with him other than seeing him express his talent and express himself. Certainly I am confident that he is going to be here at the start of the season."

Tottenham have an unusual double header of friendlies on Saturday as they take on Wycombe Wanderers and then Luton Town.

The behind-closed-doors friendly against Wycombe has been added at late notice to the schedule and while it will be shown on the club's SpursPlay channel, there will be no admittance to the general public or media for the game against the League One side that kicks off at 11am.

Four hours later, Spurs will kick off their previously scheduled friendly against another League One side in Luton Town, who will now feature former Tottenham goalkeeper Josh Keeley after his £1million move from north London last week. That game at Kenilworth Road will, like the 2-0 win at Reading last Saturday, be played out in front of a decent crowd.

New Spurs head coach Thomas Frank, who will be in charge of both games on Saturday, has a big, bloated squad with 32 senior players potentially fit and available - not including those on loan or injured - and wants to ensure that as many players as possible are now moving up their match minutes quickly.

"We wanted an extra game in our schedule to give as many players as many match minutes as possible, in order to put them in the best position, physically," said the Dane. "We will play two even, strong teams and they will play between 60 and 75 minutes, maybe more.

"By the end of Saturday, 22 players will have played a lot of match minutes and they will be in a very good place before we go on tour."

So who plays in which match? First off there are the players who won't be there. Keeley, Alfie Dorrington and Ashley Phillips have now left the club, the latter two back to Aberdeen and Stoke City respectively on loan, while Alejo Veliz is at Rosario Central on loan. Manor Solomon is unlikely to be fit after suffering a calf injury in training while Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin and Bryan Gil remain out after their different knee injuries and subsequent surgeries.

James Maddison however does appear to now be back in training with the squad after Frank told football.london last week that he was part-training with the team at that point. Frank said Kota Takai was expected to return to training this week following a small training ground knock.

Richarlison missed the match at Reading but Frank said afterwards: "Richy has trained well, we’re just building him, that’s the big thing, He trained earlier today, and we expect a full training week next week and, right now, we expect him to play next week."

So who will play behind closed doors against Wycombe, albeit on camera, and who will play in front of a crowd at Luton?

Maddison might be eased back into things gently as could be the case for some of the trio of Archie Gray, Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert who were granted extra time off after their exploits at the U21 European Championships. For Maddison a 30 minute spell might suit him better while one or two of the other three could be in a better place to get some longer game time as they were only playing full matches a month ago.

There is also captain Son Heung-min. The 33-year-old has been the subject of plenty of speculation as he enters the final year of his contract and struggled to find his rhythm during Saturday's win at Reading as he played the second half, although he did win both corners that led to Tottenham's goals.

football.londonreported on MLS interest for Son early last month with his former Spurs team-mate Hugo Lloris at LAFC and now the Los Angeles side are reportedly trying to make a move happen.

Frank will have to weigh up whether it is better for Son to build up his rhythm behind closed doors with a smaller online audience or give the Luton fans, and travelling Tottenham supporters, the chance to see the popular South Korean star in action on Saturday. As he did in Reading in both halves, the Dane might utilise Son and Romero as the captains of each side.

The Spurs head coach did say that both teams would be even, which suggests a sprinkling of senior players across both starting XIs. There is also the issue that Wayne Burnett's U21s, who played on Tuesday night with a strong side, also have a friendly on Saturday at Woking, kicking off at 3pm, which means that he will likely need to put out a young mostly U18s side there with most members of his development squad required to supplement both first team squads. The U18s are currently in Ireland for the week but will return on Friday.

It could be a bit of a push to have some U21s players coming on for the final 15-30 minutes of the Wycombe game only to then be whisked to Luton to come on again at Kenilworth Road so that development squad is going to have to be split across both games with potentially 14 or 15 young players required to come off the bench.

Here are our wild stabs at two Spurs starting line-ups that Frank could put out, and he might take the chance to look at some different combinations and how comfortable players are in different roles. We've also named some players involved with the first team who might get a shorter run-out

Wycombe XI (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Spence, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma; Johnson, Son, Moore; Richarlison.

Luton XI (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Vuskovic, Davies; Bergvall, Bentancur; Kudus, Donley, Tel; Solanke.

Others to be used: Maddison, Takai, Gray, Odobert, Lankshear, Devine, Scarlett, Yang, Abbott, Austin.

Alexander Isak has not travelled to Asia with the Newcastle United squad for their pre-season tour.

The Magpies are set to face Arsenal in Singapore on Sunday and a group of 30 players boarded the plane for the trip on Thursday morning. Eddie Howe's side will then travel to South Korea to face a K-League All-Star team on Wednesday, July 30 before taking on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, August 3.

Isak is not among the group to make the trip, though. Newcastle say the Swedish striker is currently nursing an injury and he is not expected to feature over the next 10 days.

In a statement Newcastle said: "Newcastle United have announced the first team squad that has departed for the club's 2025 Asia Tour. The Magpies are on their way to Singapore, where they will face Arsenal on Sunday as part of their pre-season preparations. They will then travel to South Korea to face a K-League All-Star team and Tottenham Hotspur.

"Eddie Howe has an almost fully-fit squad to choose from, however Alexander Isak misses out with a minor thigh injury. Lewis Hall is available following an injury lay-off and could feature in South Korea."

Arsenal played their first pre-season friendly on Wednesday, with Bukayo Saka's goal ensuring Mikel Arteta's side beat AC Milan 1-0. The Gunners will face Newcastle on Sunday before travelling to Hong Kong to face Tottenham on Wednesday, July 31.

Tottenham, meanwhile, are still currently in the UK and beat Reading 2-0 on Saturday in what was Thomas Frank's first pre-season friendly. The Lilywhites are due to face both Wycombe and Luton Town on Saturday, with the two fixtures on the same day giving Frank the opportunity to hand out plenty of minutes to his squad.

Spurs will then make the trip to Asia themselves where they will face Arsenal and Newcastle.

Tottenham transfer target Morgan Gibbs-White has travelled out to Portugal and teamed up with the rest of his Nottingham Forest teammates for their pre-season tour. The 25-year-old initially didn't make the trip to Faro with the rest of the Forest squad on Monday due to 'a private and personal matter unrelated to football'.

However, Gibbs-White flew to Portugal on Wednesday night and has now joined the Forest team ahead of their pre-season fixture against Fulham at the Estadio de Sao Luis on Saturday. Four days later, the Reds take on Primeira Liga side Estoril Praia at the Estadio Municipal in Albufeira.

Gibbs-White is expected to feature for Nuno Espirito Santo's side across both fixtures, having played 45 minutes during their 0-0 draw against Monaco at the SMH Group Stadium in Chesterfield last Saturday.

This is, of course, despite increased speculation around his long-term future at The City Ground. Earlier this month, Tottenham triggered Gibbs-White's £60million release clause in his contract and a medical was booked.

However, Forest took issue and claimed that Spurs made an illegal approach for the England international. The Reds feel that confidential details of the release clause's exact amount have been breached.

Two weeks has passed and Forest's board have ended communication with Tottenham over Gibbs-White. A potential deal is therefore at a standstill and there is no clear end in sight regarding a resolution.

Thomas Frank is keen to add more of a creative spark to his Tottenham squad following his appointment last month. Gibbs-White has been targeted after another terrific season in a Forest shirt.

Gibbs-White scored seven goals and provided 10 assists last season as The Reds finished seventh in the Premier League table. The attacking midfielder provided the assist for Anthony Elanga's winner against Tottenham on Boxing Day, before putting in an inspired performance as Forest beat Spurs 2-1 back in April.

Spurs have signed five players so far this summer. Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel arrived on loan in January but have penned permanent contracts, while Luka Vuksovic has finally made the move from Hajduck Split, Kota Takai has joined from Kawasaki Frontale and Mohammed Kudus has signed from West Ham.

Frank's Tottenham take on League One side Luton Town in their second pre-season fixture on Saturday, after edging past fellow third-tier outfit Reading 2-0 last time out. Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic found the net for Spurs at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur made Nottingham Forest a £60million release clause-triggering offer for Morgan Gibbs-White over 10 days ago.

The club had a medical planned for 12 July, but that never happened. Despite wanting to move, Gibbs-White has yet to set foot in Hotspur Way this summer because Forest believe that the approach was illegal due to the alleged disclosure of confidential contractual details.

They appear to essentially be threatening legal action after putting his agent and Tottenham on notice. The player is now away from the club due to a private matter communicated to Forest. Here is the latest on Gibbs-White:

City stance

Manchester City reportedly have no plans of reviving their interest in Gibbs-White. They are said to have previously been interested in the England international earlier this year.

That was, though, when Forest reputedly had a £100million asking price on Gibbs-White. Since then, they have spent the best part of £80million on a pair of midfielders: Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders.

As such, our sister title the Manchester Evening News states that they are happy with their strength in that area and have ended their interest in Gibbs-White with no intention of re-entering the race. They are instead focusing on outgoings this month.

Marinakis hope

That stance will seemingly not go down well at the City Ground as Evangelos Marinakis reportedly hoped Man City would bid for Gibbs-White. talkSPORT claims that the Forest owner and Gibbs-White agreed that he would only leave for a certain level of club.

Despite playing in the Champions League this season after winning the Europa League, reputedly, Marinakis does not regard Spurs as at that requisite level. That is said to be what has angered the club's owner, likely due to Tottenham finishing 17th in the Premier League and 27 points behind Forest in seventh, who only qualified for the Conference League.

Gibbs-White absence

Gibbs-White did not travel to Portugal for Forest's pre-season tour with his teammates Monday. Instead, he is absent from the team due to a private matter not believed to be transfer or football related.

Notably, he is engaged to the influencer Britney De Villiers. On Sunday, she posted on Instagram, intimating she has a high-risk pregnancy.

"This has been one of the hardest things I've ever dealt with, and I just don't really remember a time I wasn't overwhelmed with stress," she wrote alongside a photo of her lying on a hospital bed with a pulse oximeter on her finger.

Tottenham look to have a free run at signing Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest, if the legal complications around the transfer are ironed out.

That is because Manchester City have no plans to make a move for the Forest midfielder this summer, having previously been interested in signing the 25-year-old.

Spurs looked to have tied up a deal for Gibbs-White a week-and-a-half ago when, out of the blue, it emerged that they had met his release clause and were arranging a medical with the Forest man.

However, Tottenham soon ran into problems, with Forest threatening not only Spurs, but Gibbs-White's agent with legal action over what they deemed to be an illegal approach for their player.

The Midlands side believed an illegal approach had been made and that the confidential details of the midfielder's release clause had been disclosed with suggestions that Spurs made the exact bid required to trigger it.

The two clubs are no longer in conversations, with Forest having spent many months trying to convince Gibbs-White to extend his contract at the City Ground and in so doing increase his release clause - something he has been unwilling to do.

There was also the hope from Forest that by delaying a move to Spurs, another club could enter the race to sign Gibbs-White and therefore drive the asking price up.

Tottenham remain hopeful of getting a deal over the line eventually, but the impasse raised concerns that another club could enter the race and steal a march on signing Gibbs-White.

City were named as a potential suitor, given their previous interest in the attacking midfielder, but our friends at the Manchester Evening News report that City have no plans to hijack Spurs' move.

The Blues held an interest in Gibbs-White towards the end of last season, but have since signed Rayan Cherki from Lyon for £31million and Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan for £46.3million.

Having completed those deals, City are happy with their midfield strength and are now focusing on exits. Kalvin Phillips, Jack Grealish, and James McAtee are set to move on. There is also a chance that one of Nico Gonzalez or Ilkay Gundogan will depart.