Pep Guardiola and Phil Foden's view on £60m Tottenham deal speak volumes

Tottenham are close to landing a truly special talent - at least according to Pep Guardiola and Phil Foden. Spurs look to have finalised a £60million deal to sign Nottingham Forest's midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, who had been heavily tipped for a move to Manchester City earlier this year. The 25-year-old is on course to become Tottenham's second marquee arrival this week, following their £55m acquisition of Mohammed Kudus.

However, on Friday, the transfer was thrown into doubt following reports that Forest are considering legal action, alleging that Spurs' approach for Gibbs-White was improper. The midfielder had been preparing for his medical, but the move now seems to be paused, at least for the time being. Since making the switch from Wolves to Forest in 2022, Gibbs-White has become an indispensable part of the team, playing a central role in their impressive climb up the league last season. That campaign saw Forest hold a Champions League qualification spot for over half the season, and his standout displays didn't go unnoticed. Back in March, City manager Guardiola called him "exceptional," a view echoed by Foden.

Following a brilliant performance in the 2023 U21 European Championship semi-final, where Gibbs-White netted a goal and earned man of the match honours versus Israel, Foden commented "what a player" on the midfielder's Instagram post celebrating the victory.

Praise like that from high-profile names highlights just how highly Gibbs-White is regarded and is sure to excite Spurs supporters. He had previously been on City's radar before they opted to focus on Rayan Cherki earlier in the window.

With Spurs now believed to have met his release clause - pending a possible legal challenge - Gibbs-White will become their fifth major recruit of the summer once the deal is sealed, pushing the club's total transfer outlay beyond £180m. He joins Kudus, Luka Vuskovic, and Kota Takai through the door, as well as Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso, whose loans from last season are now permanent.

This wave of signings reflects a clear commitment to support incoming manager Thomas Frank and to avoid a repeat of last year's disappointing league showing. Spurs ended a woeful campaign in 17th, plagued by a relentless injury list.

Though they managed to salvage the season with a memorable Europa League win - which clinched Champions League football - it wasn't enough to keep Ange Postecoglou in the job. Their aggressive early recruitment points to a club eager to compete at the top again and build a squad with the depth and durability to handle the demands of an action-packed season.

Next year will mark their first return to Champions League action since the 2022/23 season, and with increased competition in the top half of the Premier League, Spurs are acting swiftly to seize the moment and reclaim a place among the country's elite.

As for Nottingham Forest, Gibbs-White's potential exit emphasises how critical qualifying for the Champions League would have been. The club have already sanctioned the £55m departure of Anthony Elanga to Newcastle, and losing Gibbs-White in the same window is a major blow, with both stars joining clubs set to compete in Europe's premier club tournament next season.

Both players were crucial to Forest's recent strong run of form, and their exits will leave noticeable gaps as the new season approaches. Elanga recorded 11 Premier League assists in 2024/25 - bettered only by Mohamed Salah and Jacob Murphy, his soon-to-be Newcastle team-mate - and also scored six times.

Gibbs-White contributed seven goals and eight assists during the same campaign. Combined, the two were responsible for a large portion of Forest's attacking output, with only Chris Wood involved in more goals (20 goals, three assists).

At Tottenham, Gibbs-White will be competing for minutes in a stacked midfield that boasts Kudus, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, Archie Gray, Yves Bissouma, and Pape Matar Sarr. The competition is intense - but given his trajectory, Gibbs-White won't just be fighting for inclusion - he'll be looking to claim a starting role.