Nottingham Forest are taking on Monaco in a pre-season friendly on Saturday afternoon and all Tottenham eyes were on the squad list and whether a certain player would be on it.
Spurs are locked in talks over a deal to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Forest, with Forest threatening legal action over a £60million approach from Tottenham to sign the 25-year-old.
Forest allege that Spurs offered the exact amount to trigger the release clause of the England international, which was supposed to be confidential, and they have written to both Spurs and the player’s agent, threatening legal action.
Tottenham remain hopeful that a deal will get over the line, given they have met the release clause, but the saga, which emerged more than a week ago when Spurs thought they had got their man, is rumbling on.
Amidst all that, pre-season is beginning for both clubs and Gibbs-White was spotted with the squad as they arrived at Chesterfield’s SMH Group Stadium for the friendly with Monaco.
Not only is he with the squad, but Gibbs-White was named by manager Nuno Espirito Santo in the starting lineup for the clash.
Forest are believed to have been trying for months to tie Gibbs-White down to a bumper new contract to make him one of the club’s highest earner, in exchange for removing the release clause or at least including a renegotiated one, but the midfielder has not been keen to enter into any new talks over a deal that has only two years remaining.
Both the player and Spurs want the deal to be completed but it remains to be seen how long it will be delayed given Forest’s legal stance or if it will be called off completely.
