Nottingham Forest have halted Morgan Gibbs-White’s expected transfer to Tottenham Hotspur and are preparing to file a complaint with the Premier League, saying Spurs made an illegal approach to the England midfielder. Forest officials claim the north-London club contacted the player without their written consent, in breach of Premier League rule T.1, and have asked lawyers to explore further legal action. Tottenham had been ready to trigger Gibbs-White’s £60 million (€70 million) release clause, and the 25-year-old was reportedly scheduled for a medical on Friday. Forest argue that confidential details of the clause were leaked and that discussions proceeded before the clubs reached an agreement, an allegation commonly described as ‘tapping up’. Sources close to Forest say owner Evangelos Marinakis is dissatisfied with the process; Spurs and the Premier League have declined to comment. Gibbs-White joined Forest from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2022 for an initial £25 million and last season produced seven goals and eight assists, helping the club qualify for the UEFA Conference League. If the impasse persists, Spurs may look elsewhere in the market, while Forest face the prospect of losing a key playmaker as they try to build on last term’s seventh-place finish.