Finance expert reveals why Tottenham may not pay £60m for Morgan Gibbs-White

Football finance expert Stefan Borson has said that Nottingham Forest’s allegation against Tottenham on the Morgan Gibbs-White saga is more serious than many people think, and has explained what the Midlands club expect Spurs to do if they want to land the midfielder.

Some Spurs fans are already fed up with the Gibbs-White transfer saga and have suggested that it might be time for the club to look for other alternatives.

That is amidst reports that Forest are standing their ground and continuing to insist that Gibbs-White will not leave.

What poses a real issue for the Lilywhites is the fact that the Premier League have not given a timeframe to resolve the Gibbs-White issue, which means that North Londoners might not know how long this legal tussle will take to be resolved.

Nottingham Forest could demand a higher fee from Tottenham for Morgan Gibbs-White

Stefan Borson has now explained that Forest could have a legitimate grievance regarding Tottenham Hotspur’s activation of the attacking midfielder’s £60m release clause.

He suggested that Nuno Espirito Santo’s men may have been due a larger fee for Gibbs-White if the release clause had remained confidential and posited that the Midlands side would want the North London club to pay over £60m.

When asked about Forest’s legal challenge against Spurs, Borson told talkSPORT: “If it is correct that there has been a formal complaint to the Premier League regarding that transaction, that, I think, could be quite significant because once a formal complaint is made to the Premier League, it’s either in the form of an arbitration request, ie Nottingham Forest will effectively sue. Alternatively, they are inviting the Premier League board to investigate Spurs.

“If Spurs are investigated, it will be alleged that they were trying to induce a breach of contract and a breach of confidentiality, and that appears to be relatively serious. Now the only question is, what’s the loss? Well… That’s difficult to calculate.

“Were there other bidders? Have Nottingham Forest lost anything at all? But it may have developed into a more serious issue. Tottenham may not be spending that £60m on Morgan Gibbs-White this summer.

“I think they’ll have to pay more than the release fee to settle the claim from Marinakis. The reality is that Forest are basically saying: ‘If you want him, you’re not having him for the release fee, so we’re back in a negotiation.’

“If it’s a release fee deal, then Forest are saying: ‘Well, you’ve induced him to breach, so we’re entitled to the difference between what he’s worth and what you’ve induced him to be sold at.”

Nottingham Forest were close to selling Gibbs-White to Man City

Borson’s claim makes sense in light of reports that Nottingham Forest were on the cusp of selling Gibbs-White to Man City before Tottenham hijacked the deal by paying the release clause.

The midfielder then allegedly changed his stance and greenlighted a move to Spurs, which is thought to have made Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis furious.

Marinakis may thus be demanding that Tottenham split the difference between the £60m clause and whatever fee that Forest were expecting City to pay for the England international.

It has even been claimed by some sources that Forest tried to resolve the Gibbs-White issue amicably with Spurs before launching a complaint against the North Londoners.

• READ MORE: When Thomas Frank will hold his first Tottenham press conference amid Morgan Gibbs-White drama

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