Tottenham are facing a significant delay to their deal for Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White, with the Premier League rivals threatening legal action over what they perceive to be an illegal approach from Thomas Frank’s side.
£138k-a-week Brazilian very keen to join Tottenham amid Gibbs-White twist
Daniel Levy wants two more additions in midfield.
ByEmilio GalantiniJul 11, 2025
Spurs were thought to be on the verge of welcoming Gibbs-White to north London as Frank’s second major signing after Mohammed Kudus, who completed a £55 million switch from West Ham on Thursday evening.
The 25-year-old was even scheduled to have a medical at Hotspur Way on Friday, and Daniel Levy was ready to trigger his £60 million release clause. However, Forest’s threat of a complaint to the Premier League is now threatening the transfer, as first reported by Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett.
Son Heung-min
7.00
James Maddison
6.98
Pedro Porro
6.95
Dominic Solanke
6.84
Dejan Kulusevski
6.83
via WhoScored
“More on Morgan Gibbs-White. Nottingham Forest have reported Spurs to the Premier League this afternoon for making an illegal approach and have threatened legal action,” wrote fellow journalist Ben Jacobs on X.
“Spurs have received communication asking them to cease contact with Gibbs-White. Forest declined to comment, but sources say the club believe Spurs tapped up Gibbs-White and could challenge the manner in which the £60m clause was learned of. The Premier League will now investigate leading to the deal being delayed and potentially in doubt.”
In more positive news for supporters, there is an expectation from some reliable media sources that Forest will eventually be powerless to stop the deal from happening, so it could just be a case of having to wait for Gibbs-White to officially seal his move from the City Ground to north London.
In any case, this is a very bizarre, evolving situation – and one which has barely ever been seen before in recent years.
Tottenham's stance on signing Morgan Gibbs-White amid legal threat
Taking to X, Alasdair Gold shared his own piece for football.london, pleading for just “one normal day” at Spurs following a rather hectic last week.
In his article, the reliable Tottenham correspondent reported that they’re still very keen to pursue a deal for the ex-Wolves sensation, despite it currently sitting in limbo, and there is a feeling within Forest that they will just have to stand aside for Gibbs-White to seal his move to N17 – even if they’re preparing legal action.
The likelihood right now is that Spurs will eventually sign Gibbs-White, which would allow Levy to make the statement double signing of Kudus and the Three Lions ace for a total fee of around £115 million.
Elsewhere, it is believed that Tottenham are still keen on signing Brentford striker Yoane Wissa, who is pushing to leave the Gtech Community Stadium.