Manchester City could reportedly be handed a boost in their Morgan Gibbs-White transfer mission by Liverpool, as Nottingham Forest have identified a Reds man as a possible successor to the Englishman.
Following reports that Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz has agreed to join Bayern Munich this summer, Gibbs-White could jump to the top of City’s shortlist of prospective Kevin De Bruyne replacements.
De Bruyne was not offered a new contract by the Etihad powers-that-be, meaning that the 33-year-old will be ending his glittering 10-year City career at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
With five goals and nine assists to show from 31 games for Champions League-chasing Forest this season, Gibbs-White would be a natural fit to fill the De Bruyne void, and the Tricky Trees are braced for offers for the 25-year-old.
As well as preparing themselves for bids, Forest are making contingency plans in the event that Gibbs-White departs this summer, and Football Insider claims that Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott is on their radar.
Forest ‘identify Liverpool’s Elliott’ as Gibbs-White replacement
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The England Under-21 international has endured a difficult first campaign under Arne Slot, having suffered a serious foot injury early on in the season, which kept him out for two months.
Elliott’s broken metatarsal and competition for places have restricted the playmaker to 25 appearances across all competitions in 2024-25, during which time he has recorded four goals and two assists.
However, the former Fulham starlet had to wait until last weekend to make his first Premier League start of the season, completing 69 minutes of the Reds’ 3-1 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Elliott is under contract at Anfield for another two years, but his status as a peripheral player has inevitably led to speculation surrounding a move elsewhere, either in the Premier League or abroad.
Borussia Dortmund and Brighton & Hove Albion were heavily linked with a January move, while Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bournemouth and Newcastle United have supposedly shown interest too.
Liverpool ‘set asking price’ for Elliott amid Forest interest
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Slot and Elliott are expected to sit down and discuss the latter’s future at the end of the season, but if he does push for a move away, Liverpool would apparently demand between £40m and £50m for him.
Such a price tag could prove off-putting for some clubs, but Forest should have no problem forking out that eight-figure sum if they sell Gibbs-White to Man City for a significant amount.
Elliott has 14 goals and 19 assists to show from 144 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, and the Reds are still said to have high hopes for his future, in spite of his struggles this season.
Alternatively, Forest could target one of Man City’s existing playmakers to replace Gibbs-White, raising the possibility of a swap or part-exchange deal with the Sky Blues.
