Man Utd fear Gibbs-White transfer rejection as ‘pay scale’ truth emerges; ‘Man City the favourites’

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·24 Februari 2026

Man Utd fear Gibbs-White transfer rejection as ‘pay scale’ truth emerges; ‘Man City the favourites’

Manchester United are interested in signing Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest in the summer transfer window, according to reports.

There is plenty of interest in the Forest playmaker, who came close to joining Tottenham Hotspur last summer.

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The north London club triggered a release clause in Gibbs-White’s contract, but Forest threatened legal action over an alleged illegal approach.

It is unclear whether Spurs will return for the England international at the end of the season, or if the player would even want to join a side currently sitting 16th in the Premier League.

United could be able to offer Gibbs-White Champions League football, as they sit fourth in the Premier League and have no other competitions to distract them.

Michael Carrick’s former club are also set to significantly trim their wage bill at the end of the season, which could open the door for an important signing like Gibbs-White.

Interest in the 26-year-old could intensify if club captain Bruno Fernandes, who has been linked with clubs in Saudi Arabia, leaves.

Casemiro and Jadon Sancho are both expected to depart, saving the club more than £600,000 per week in combined wages. Meanwhile, there is a buy option in Marcus Rashford’s £315,000-per-week loan to Barcelona.

There are also talks over Harry Maguire renewing his contract on reduced terms from his current £180,000-per-week salary.

Gibbs-White currently earns around £150,000 per week after Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis convinced him to reject Spurs and sign a new deal.

This salary would put him broadly in line with United’s most recent signings, including Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.

According to the Daily Mail, the Red Devils are ready to pounce if Forest are relegated, having joined other Premier League clubs monitoring the player.

There is considered to be little chance that Gibbs-White would remain at Forest if they go down, with a host of clubs likely to line up for his signature.

United have also been strongly linked with his Forest team-mate Elliot Anderson, who is valued at around £100million.

The report claims there is a release clause in Gibbs-White’s new contract, but United could face a problem.

The club’s desire to lower their wage bill and offer more modest salaries to new signings could hinder their ability to compete with rival offers.

The report states:

Manchester United have joined the Premier League clubs monitoring Morgan Gibbs-White’s situation at Nottingham Forest. However, Confidential understands United’s new pay scale may hinder their efforts to persuade either player to turn down bigger offers from other clubs and move to Old Trafford in the summer. United have been trying to drive down their wage bill, but it could leave them at a severe disadvantage in the chase for Gibbs-White and Anderson – even more so with Manchester City understood to be tracking both Forest players as well. United’s neighbours beat them to the £64m signing of Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo in January, and would be among the favourites again as players and agents adapt to the new financial norm at Old Trafford. Earning in excess of £100m by qualifying for the Champions League would have a big impact on United’s ability to offer big money for transfer targets in the summer, but the club are still committed to moving high earners off the books.