Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White plays pre-season friendly amid Tottenham speculation
What's the story
Nottingham Forest's midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White continues to stay focused on his game despite the ongoing transfer speculation. The 25-year-old player featured in Forest's first pre-season friendly, a goalless draw against Monaco, amid uncertainty over his future following Tottenham Hotspur's interest. Fans showed their support by chanting Gibbs-White's name as he left the pitch at half-time, to which he responded with a heart gesture.
Legal considerations
Nottingham considering legal action against Tottenham
Nottingham Forest are contemplating legal action against Tottenham over their interest in Gibbs-White. As per a report in Sky Sports News, the Premier League club stopped all communication with Spurs, amid allegations that the latter made an illegal approach for the player. This came after Tottenham triggered a £60 million release clause in Gibbs-White's contract with Forest. The club is looking into whether a confidentiality agreement tied to the player's £60 million release clause has been breached.
Teammate's remarks
'Morgan is a professional,' says Aina
Despite the ongoing speculation, Gibbs-White has remained committed to his duties at Nottingham Forest, as teammate Ola Aina confirmed after the match against Monaco. After the match, Aina praised Gibbs-White for his professionalism amid the ongoing transfer saga. He said, "Morgan is a professional. I don't really know the ins and outs of that, but he was here today, he was playing, training with us." Aina added that despite all the distractions, "At the end of the day we're all professionals. We've got a job to do and that's what Morgan's doing right now."
Transfer
Transfer gathered pace before Tottenham activated release clause
Last Thursday, it was understood that Spurs gathered pace in their pursuit of Gibbs-White. This was after the London club got hold of West Ham United's Mohammed Kudus. Despite interest from several top English clubs, Spurs intensified their pursuit of the talented midfielder. Later on the same day, it was revealed that Tottenham triggered a £60m release clause in Gibbs-White's Nottingham Forest contract. The 25-year-old was set for a medical on Friday and a move was on the cards thereafter.