Morgan Gibbs-White agrees personal terms to join Manchester City | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest and England star Morgan Gibbs-White has agreed personal terms with Manchester City as negotiations progress between the clubs over a possible transfer.

Gibbs-White, 25, has enjoyed a breakthrough few years at the City Ground and has been identified as a potent addition to Manchester City’s attacking midfield ranks as the club plan for life after Kevin De Bruyne.

De Bruyne has joined Napoli on a free transfer after Manchester City decided against offering the 34-year-old a new deal, with Scott Carson also leaving the club as Hugo Viana orchestrates a major squad revamp at the Etihad Stadium following his appointment as director of football.

The England international is not believed to have expressed a desire to leave but the prospect of linking up with Pep Guardiola and joining forces with his good friend Phil Foden would understandably have tempted Gibbs-White to move to Manchester.

Manchester City have bolstered their attack with the signing of Rayan Cherki from Lyon as they look to challenge for the Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles next term after a sub-standard 2024-25 campaign.

Outgoings are likely to determine what form Viana’s rebuild takes as the transfer window progresses as it remains to be seen what the coming weeks and months could hold for the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and James McAtee.

Gundogan is keen to extend his Manchester City return into the 2025-26 campaign after returning to the Etihad Stadium from Barcelona last summer. McAtee is set to leave for a deal that could be fetch the Blues a sum between £25-30 million.

Forest are believed to be demanding around £70 million for Gibbs-White, who has two years left on his current deal at the City Ground. McAtee’s impending exit could open up space in Manchester City’s midfield, which could reportedly also witness the departure of Nico Gonzalez for the right price.

Football Insider are reporting that Manchester City have agreed personal terms with Gibbs-White’s representatives and are working on a deal for the Englishman behind the scenes, with a fee yet to be agreed between the clubs.

Forest are poised to lose Anthony Elanga to Newcastle for an initial £55 million and financial constraints could see the club also cash in on Gibbs-White in the event of an attractive offer that would be too good to turn down given the circumstances.

Gibbs-White is believed to have made his mind up over a move to the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City assemble a squad to challenge on all fronts in the years to come after a below-par and sobering 2024-25 campaign.

It remains to be seen what Gibbs-White’s potential arrival could mean for possible departures within the first-team squad, with Viana and co set to sanction the exits of several senior stars between now and when the transfer window shuts on September 1.