Not all clubs were successful in their pursuit, something which can define a club’s transfer standpoint over the summer and, as a result, the position of relative strength or weakness they may find themselves in ahead of the new season in August.Nottingham Forest’s game-changing campaign cannot be overstated, as they leapt from relegation battlers to genuine Champions League contenders within just a year. But they ultimately couldn’t get over the line to reach their goal, finishing seventh and thus qualifying for the Conference League. European football for Forest is massive news, but it may not prevent huge offers coming in for some of their star men.Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City brushed aside the disappointment of a below-par campaign for their high standards and finished strongly to secure third place – and they may be primed to do business with Forest this summer in a headline-grabbing swap dealManchester City have been known to be big fans of Morgan Gibbs-White for a while now, and could use some of their out-of-favour attacking stars to sweeten a deal with Forest for their number 10.
Football Insider have reported that £100m man Jack Grealish could be included as part of a deal in what would be one of the most high-profile swap deals in Premier League history, while an alternative could be England U21s star James McAtee. In such a deal with City for either player, Forest would be getting a potential replacement for Gibbs-White through the door while hoping still to make profit on their £42.5m record signing.
Pete O’Rourke reported on Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast: “Swap deals are notoriously hard in the Premier League, but we know Morgan Gibbs-White is a major target for Manchester City this summer. He’s had a very good season for Forest — seven goals and ten assists… he’s under contract at the City Ground until 2027.“If they get an offer which is too good to turn down, Forest might have to let him move to City… to work under Pep Guardiola… you’d probably be thinking that Forest will be looking to double their investment. Jack Grealish potentially is a swap deal – [that] might cause unrest if Forest were to break their budget to try and get Grealish in.
“James McAtee; there’s definitely interest in him from Forest… he was surprisingly left out of City’s squad for the final game of the season, which tells you that he doesn’t figure in Pep’s plans.. He’ll probably have to seek a move away, but there’ll be lots of competition for McAtee’s signature.”
How would Jack Grealish or James McAtee fit in at Nottingham Forest?
Losing Gibbs-White would be a major blow, but it could be a consolation for Forest to replace it with one of Grealish or McAtee, both very technically gifted players capable of impacting a game on the biggest stages. With European experience at City and the training of one of the best managers around under their belt, it would be hard for Forest to argue with a player-plus-cash swap deal with the Citizens.As stated by O’Rourke though, Grealish’s wage demands may put a dent in Forest’s wage structure and cause “unrest” at the club – something Nuno Espirito Santo will be looking to avoid, particularly considering the chaos the club went through on and off the pitch throughout their first two seasons after promotion. McAtee could be seen as the safer option, less high-risk but potentially higher reward for a player who has yet to reach his peak. Forest will hope to hold onto their star man Gibbs-White, but should they have no choice but to sell, this swap deal could well be the answer.
