Morgan Gibbs-White has performed a dramatic U-turn on his Nottingham Forest future – with the England midfielder signing a new deal at the City Ground.
The playmaker was the subject of a £60million bid from Tottenham earlier this month, after the north London club thought they had activated the release clause in his contract.
But the move was halted dramatically when Forest threatened to report Spurs to the Premier League for an alleged ‘illegal’ approach.
Now, Gibbs-White has put an end to the speculation over his future and has penned a new deal with Forest until the summer of 2028.
Mail Sport learned in January that Gibbs-White was resisting Forest’s attempts to offer him a new deal that would at least have doubled his previous £60,000-a-week salary.
He was keen on joining Tottenham until now, after being offered a ‘record deal’ by Forest, described as a ‘statement of intent’ from owner Evangelos Marinakis in a club statement on X.
Morgan Gibbs-White has signed a new deal at Nottingham Forest until the summer of 2028
Tottenham thought they had activated the £60m release clause in his contract but the deal was disputed by Forest for an ‘illegal’ approach
The England star’s ‘record deal’ was described as a ‘statement of intent’ from owner Evangelos Marinakis in a club statement on X
Gibbs-White joined Forest in 2022 from Wolves for a club record transfer fee of £25m, with another £17m in potential add-ons.
He has since made 118 appearances, scoring 18 goals and providing 28 assists in all competitions.
Last season, Gibbs-White netted seven times and provided 10 assists as Forest marched to a strong seventh-place finish, securing a spot in the Europa Conference League.
Crystal Palace qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup last term, only to be excluded from it for an alleged breach of UEFA regulations relating to multi-club ownership.
Were the decision to be upheld, Forest would take their place in the Europa League, with Palace dropping into the Conference League.
Gibbs-White recently linked up with his Forest team-mates in Portugal after missing the start of their pre-season training camp due to personal reasons.
Gibbs-White’s partner, Britney De Villiers, posted to social media last Sunday to share that she was having complications with her pregnancy.
She describe how she struggled with a ‘high risk pregnancy’ from a hospital bed. The couple have a young son together.
Since signing from Wolves in 2022 for £25m, Gibbs-White has scored 18 goals in 118 matches
It is understood that Gibbs-White maintained an exemplary attitude throughout the saga
He linked up with his Forest team-mates in Portugal after missing the start of their pre-season training camp due to personal reasons
Gibbs-White’s partner, Britney De Villiers, posted to social media last Sunday to share that she was having complications with her pregnancy
Gibbs-White, 25, and De Villiers, 25, are expecting their second child together
It is understood throughout the transfer saga, the midfielder showed an exemplary attitude, which continued when he returned for duty on July 14.
Gibbs-White played the first half of Forest’s pre-season friendly at Chesterfield on July 19 and was given a warm reception by supporters. He responded with his own gesture of gratitude.
Forest have already lost one key attacking player this summer after Anthony Elanga was sold to Newcastle for £55m.
The club still hope Callum Hudson-Odoi, who is out of contract in the summer, will sign a new deal, while Forest are interested in Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey, Manchester City’s James McAtee and Swiss attacker Dan Ndoye, who plays for Italian club Bologna.
