Man City thunder towards new attacking midfielder as perfect swap falls into place
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola alongside Nottingham Forest ace Morgan Gibbs-White
Manchester City have an ace up their sleeve in their quest to sign an attacking midfielder this summer, after a report revealed their new top target’s current club want to take a player in the opposite direction.
Finding a number 10 capable of replacing Kevin De Bruyne wasn’t going to be easy, but when Liverpool began to close in on the capture of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, it must have given Man City a new perspective on how daunting that task might be.
With Wirtz seemingly now off the table – even though they were cooling their interest anyway – City have turned their attention elsewhere. Now, their prime target is Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest.
And while Gibbs-White won’t come cheap either, City have just discovered how they can pull off the deal for a reasonable price.
According to The Sun, Gibbs-White’s current club Forest have put City’s Matheus Nunes on their shortlist of transfer targets.
City have set an asking price of £35m for Nunes, according to the report, which is about half of what Forest are asking for to let Gibbs-White go.
Therefore, in terms of net spend, City can get Gibbs-White in a decent-looking deal. It would allow them to get rid of Nunes, who was praised lavishly by Pep Guardiola before joining the club but has seen that feedback get toned down significantly since they started working together.
Guardiola has often used Nunes out of position at full-back, rather than in midfield, this season after casting doubt on his ability to play in the middle.
Gibbs-White stance on Man City move
TEAMtalk revealed earlier this week that Gibbs-White is open to making a step up, despite Forest enjoying an ambitious season in which they have been in the mix for European qualification.
Forest have been hoping to extend the England international’s contract beyond 2027, but City are ready to step up their pursuit of the 25-year-old.
Pep Guardiola admires his work rate and technical quality, which could make him a good fit for an evolving City side.
De Bruyne is departing the club on a free transfer this summer after a decade of service, leaving a void that will be near-impossible to fill.
However, City could sign a player of proven Premier League quality in the shape of Gibbs-White, who is a different type of midfielder but is on an upwards trajectory.
With Manchester City yet to discover the final outcome from the Premier League regarding their 115 charges, Manchester United legend Gary Neville branded the situation as a “disgrace” to football
Gary Neville was in a furious mood when discussing Manchester City’s case of 115 charges – as he called the lack of a verdict a disgrace to football
Gary Neville had strong thoughts on Manchester City’s 115 charges
Gary Neville was in a furious mood when discussing Manchester City’s case of 115 charges as he called the lack of a verdict a “disgrace” to football. It was in February 2023 when the club were hit with 115 alleged breaches by the Premier League, which were dated between 2009 and 2018.
While City have consistently denied any wrongdoing, a hearing commenced in September last year and concluded in December. Despite club boss Pep Guardiola suggesting in February that a verdict on the matter would likely be delivered a month later, it has yet to be released.
With the 2024/25 campaign coming to a close on Sunday, the footballing community are still in the dark as to when clarity on City’s case will be made clear.
In a Q&A forum for The Athletic, journalist David Ornstein was asked about whether there are any updates on the charges, with the reply being a one-word answer: “Zero.”
In the latest episode of The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet, the topic was discussed by Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher, who were joined on the show by football finance expert Kieran Maguire.
The lack of answers surrounding the situation is one Neville believes is staining football and insisted a solution must come quick.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 23: Josep ‘Pep’ Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, looks dejected during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Liverpool FC at Etihad Stadium on February 23, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola said in February that he believed a verdict in the case would be reached a month later
“That Manchester City case is a disgrace; it’s an absolute stain to the game,” the Manchester United icon said regarding City allegedly breaching the Financial Fair Play rules.
“I have a lot of admiration for City, but I don’t buy into this theory that clubs do really well, and City have, but it is still a stain to the game.
“It has just been dragging on for years and years, it’s an absolute joke. Yes, City have been defending themselves, but they’ve been pushing it so far into the long grass that you end up losing the will to live on it and you forget about it. It just needs to be dealt with.”
Pep Guardiola and Bernardo Silva
Manchester City lost the FA Cup final 1-0 to Crystal Palace to finish the season without silverware
It’s a topic Maguire has spoken on before as he recently predicted that some charges will be ruled in the Premier League’s favour, while City have had the “upper hand” on the league in the past.
“I think we will see some sort of transitional rule with the APTs,” Maguire said. “We have already seen Brighton’s loans from Tony Bloom have been converted into something that is between shares and debt.
“There will be discussions taking place between clubs, lawyers and accountants as to how existing loans can be reclassified as equity. Therefore, that will assist things going forward.
“I think, based on historical evidence, that City have got the upper hand over the Premier League. Nick DeMarco thinks it will be a score draw where the Premier League will win some of the 115 charges but City will have a far stronger case in others.”
It’s been a disappointing campaign for the former league champions who’ll finish the season without silverware for the first time since Guardiola’s arrival almost a decade ago, having lost the FA Cup final 1-0 to Crystal Palace at Wembley last Saturday. Their season concludes on Sunday with a trip to Fulham, where a win will secure them a third-place finish.
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