Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White has taken a fresh twist, as the Nottingham Forest midfielder appears set to continue his summer with Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.
With the Morgan Gibbs-White, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest transfer saga dragging on for weeks now, Monday, 21 July was tagged as crucial for Spurs in their pursuit of Gibbs-White.
Tottenham fans had their eyes firmly on Gibbs-White’s movements at the start of the week, as Forest were expected to head out for their pre-season tour of Portugal.
Forest, who have already played two pre-season games in the last two weeks, one against Chesterfield and another against Monaco, are set to play two more friendlies in Portugal against Fulham on Saturday, July 27, before facing Estoril Praia three days later.
Morgan Gibbs-White joins Nottingham Forest for Portugal tour
It was understood that Gibbs-White wanted his future sorted before Nottingham Forest’s tour of Portugal, with the midfielder giving Forest and Tottenham until Monday to reach an agreement over his future.
The England man raised eyebrows when he did not travel with Nuno’s squad to Portugal, but reports swiftly revealed that Gibbs-White missed the trip due to personal reasons and it had nothing to do with Tottenham. It was further claimed that the 25-year-old would join up with the Forest squad later this week.
A fresh report from John Percy, a reporter for the Telegraph, states that Morgan Gibbs-White has now arrived in Portugal with the Nottingham Forest team for pre-season. It is understood that the Tottenham transfer target flew out last night to meet up with Nuno’s squad.
MGW is now in Portugal with the team for pre-season, after flying out last night
— John Percy (@JPercyTelegraph) July 24, 2025
The English midfielder still has two years left on his current contract, which is set to expire in 2027. Still, Tottenham activated Gibbs-White’s confidential £60 million release clause earlier this month and had a medical booked 24 hours later.
Forest, however, have long delayed the attacking midfielder’s transfer to Tottenham, as the Midlands club viewed Spurs’ approach as illegal.
The two sides have been involved in a back-and-forth over the last two weeks, although significant updates have been few and far between. Morgan Gibbs-White boarding a plane to Portugal to join his Forest teammates appears to suggest that a move is not imminent.
Spurs dealt blow in Gibbs-White chase amid pre-season schedule
This, of course, serves as a big blow for Tottenham Hotspur, who themselves will be travelling for their pre-season tour of Asia in a matter of days.
Undoubtedly, Thomas Frank would have wanted to have Gibbs-White in his Spurs squad before Tottenham’s pre-season tour, but those plans have been disrupted.
Reports have previously claimed that Daniel Levy and his legal team remain confident that Gibbs-White would join Tottenham this summer.
However, with the midfielder boarding a plane for Portugal, it remains to be seen if Tottenham are still able to sign the Englishman who grabbed 17 goal contributions in 34 Premier League appearances last term, or if they eventually turn their attention elsewhere.
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