Why Nottingham Forest Will Not Sell Morgan Gibbs-White This Summer Amid Chelsea Interest | OneFootball

Chelsea's focus is on the Premier League season, but futures need to be decided. Video Credit: Absolute Chelsea

Enzo Fernandez’s future at Stamford Bridge remains uncertain despite Chelsea’s plan to keep him.

Chelsea previously set a deadline of 5pm (UK) on August 14 for any potential suitors to submit their bid for the £120 million-rated midfielder, but no offer was made.

However, Manchester City, who continue to show interest in Fernandez, have since sold Rodri to Barcelona and are expected to be in the hunt for a replacement.

Similarly, if Chelsea lose Fernandez in the coming weeks, they will be in the market for a midfield replacement as well.

Chelsea could reignite interest in several midfield targets, including Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.

According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea showed interest in Gibbs-White earlier in the summer, but nothing concrete materialised.

One reason is that Gibbs-White is reported to aspire to play in the Champions League, which Chelsea cannot offer this season.

While staying at Nottingham Forest does not help him realise this aspiration this season, other clubs are in the race for the attacking midfielder, such as Bayern Munich.

Another stumbling block in Chelsea’s pursuit of the 26-year-old is Nottingham Forest’s stance.

Having already fetched £116m from Elliot Anderson’s sale to Manchester City, the club are under no pressure to cash in on another midfielder.

Forest are reported to have insisted publicly and privately that Gibbs-White is not for sale this summer.

Who are Chelsea's alternative targets to replace Fernandez?

In a more recent report, the Daily Mail mentioned a few names, such as Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, and Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi.

Chelsea are understood to have had a £64m bid rejected for Scott in mid-July, though they could return with an improved offer if Fernandez leaves.

Similarly, Crystal Palace are unlikely to let Wharton leave on the cheap.

Zubimendi’s case could be interesting. The Arsenal midfielder already worked with Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso at Real Sociedad B, and the pair share the same agent. Alonso is reported to be a fan of Zubimendi, and vice versa.

It remains unclear, however, if Arsenal would allow their midfielder to join London rivals late in the window.

The simplest solution for Chelsea is, of course, to keep Fernandez. This eliminates the need to acquire a replacement in the first place.

But if the midfielder is keen on leaving, keeping an unhappy player could hurt the team, particularly given his influence in the dressing room as vice-captain.