Manchester City to lead transfer chase for Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White | OneFootball

Etihad Stadium officials are expected to be at the front of the chase to sign Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White this summer, according to a new report.

The central roles in Pep Guardiola’s squad are expected to come under the microscope as Txiki Begiristain and Hugo Viana assess just how much work is required to get Manchester City back challenging for the biggest honours from next season.

There is a recognition from within the Etihad that an overhaul of an ageing roster should have taken place last summer, and Guardiola himself has admitted his own error in blocking such attempts, instead wishing to put faith into a squad that has given so much success.

However, after a hugely underwhelming season and almost £200 million spent on the first-half of a rebuild at the halfway point of the campaign, the four-in-a-row Premier League champions are expected to splash the cash yet further when the fixture list concludes.

And much of the allocated funding for the summer market could be reinvested into the central midfield areas, particularly with the confirmed departure of Kevin De Bruyne – who will leave the club at the end of his contract in June.

That leads Manchester City officials to one of the Premier League’s starring names of the 2024/25 season, with interest from the Etihad Stadium and Hugo Viana set to top watchful eyes from direct rivals in England.

That is according to the information of MailSport’s Jack Gaughan, who reveals that Manchester City are considered frontrunners in the pursuit of Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White this summer, ahead of the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United.

The report also confirms that Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz is City’s ‘dream acquisition’ in the final third but the Germany international – who is yet to decide on his future beyond this season – is also wanted by Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Gaughan details that the aforementioned 21-year-old playmaker offers a different skillset to Morgan Gibbs-White, and Manchester City recognise the need for more energy in their midfield after a difficult campaign.

There is already some element of connection between Morgan Gibbs-White and Manchester City, with the 25-year-old being close friends with last season’s Premier League Player of the Season, Phil Foden.

Manchester City’s star midfielder and prized Academy graduate named the Nottingham Forest hero as the godfather to his first child, Ronnie while the pair’s partners are also known to be close friends.

Nottingham Forest are in line to make a substantial profit on the initial £25 million they invested in Gibbs-White three years ago in a deal with Wolverhampton Wanderers, while the midfielder remains contracted at the City Ground until the end of the 2026/27 season.

Reports in some quarters have already indicated that Manchester City could be hit by a staggering £100 million transfer valuation placed on the head of Gibbs-White by his current employers this summer.