Morgan Gibbs-White looks highly unlikely to leave Nottingham Forest this summer after Manchester City’s interest cooled, but his future isn’t quite settled.
There have been reports that Tottenham are keen on Gibbs-White, but without the interest of Pep Guardiola’s side, it seems set that the midfield talisman will be pulling the strings at the City Ground come the start of the season.
City showed serious interest in Gibbs-White but opted to sign multiple midfielders instead of meeting Evangelos Marinakis’ demands for the Englishman, who therefore missed out on a crack at Champions League football.
It remains to be seen how this summer of rumours impacts his form, but a fresh report has made it clear that his long-term future at the club is far from certain.
Morgan Gibbs-White’s contract update will worry Nottingham Forest fans
The Forest squad expected Gibbs-White to leave this summer so they will be feeling positive about him likely staying on, but his current contract situation means that those in the boardroom at Forest won’t be feeling relaxed.
According to a report by Tom Collomosse in the Daily Mail, there is little progress to get excited about on the contract front for Gibbs-White, who isn’t showing much interest in extending his stay.
Collomosse said: “Now comes the tricky part. Gibbs-White has two years remaining on a contract worth about £60,000 per week and has shown little inclination to discuss a new one.
“While Forest deny that Gibbs-White has ever directly rejected a contract offer, the idea they have made no effort to tie him down is absurd. Of course they have.”
Gibbs-White has two years left on his contract so this time next summer, he’ll be entering his final year, which would be a disaster for Forest in terms of negotiating with interested clubs.
He’s not the only one who could leave Forest in this predicament, either, with three more of Nuno Espírito Santo’s starting stars also on contracts that expire in two years’ time.
Evangelos Marinakis must sort out Nottingham Forest’s contract situation
According to Capology, Gibbs-White is joined by three other senior players with contracts expiring in June 2027. These are:
- Matz Sels
- Chris Wood
- Taiwo Awoniyi
Young forwards Dale Taylor and Joe Gardner are also in the same boat, with contract talks needed to be held with Sels, Awoniyi and Gibbs-White, especially.
Wood will be 35 at the time of his contract expiring so more time can be taken to see whether his performance levels decline over the next year, but more immediate discussions should be had about Sels and Awoniyi.
Letting players go into the final year of their contract is never wise so plans should be in place to either extend or move on these players, with Gibbs-White’s valuation making him the most lucrative option to cash in on.
Whatever the decision, though, anything left to the last moment has the chance to cost the club dearly.
