Morgan Gibbs-White has switched football agents, moving from CAA Stellar to ROOF, in a change first reported by transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano on social media. The Nottingham Forest midfielder has not changed clubs this summer, but the switch in representation has raised questions about his future at the City Ground.
ROOF is based in Germany and also represents Kai Havertz, Virgil van Dijk, Ademola Lookman and Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler.
When players move to a new agency, the usual conclusion is that they are looking for a way out. That is not necessarily the case with Gibbs-White, but the move has raised eyebrows across the game, including within the Forest hierarchy.
Forest's stance on selling
Forest's position is that they have no intention of selling Gibbs-White this summer unless an offer proves too attractive to turn down. With Elliot Anderson sold to Manchester City for £116 million, there is little pressure on the club to raise more cash through sales, and owner Evangelos Marinakis does not want to lose another star player in the same window.
Having hired Oliver Glasner as head coach, Marinakis wants to improve the squad rather than simply consolidate, building the new-look Forest side around Gibbs-White. The 26-year-old missed out on a place in England's World Cup squad despite scoring 18 goals and providing seven assists in all competitions last season.
When a move to Tottenham Hotspur last summer fell through, Gibbs-White signed a new three-year contract at Forest, making him the highest-paid player in the club's history. Forest built their plans around him then and, after his standout 2025-26 season, have no intention of changing course.
Forest also believe Glasner can lift Gibbs-White's game further, pointing to the coach's record with Adam Wharton, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze at Crystal Palace. For that to happen, Glasner needs Gibbs-White fully committed rather than eyeing a move elsewhere.
Gibbs-White's mindset
Gibbs-White has watched teammates depart for Champions League clubs in consecutive summers. Anthony Elanga joined Newcastle United last July, and this year it was Anderson's turn to leave for Manchester City. Anderson is represented by Stellar.
A year ago, Tottenham believed they had triggered a £60 million release clause in Gibbs-White's contract, but Forest disputed that and prevailed. Gibbs-White is well paid and settled in Nottingham, where fans hold him in high regard, though the departures of Anderson and Elanga are said to have affected his thinking.
He was left out of England manager Thomas Tuchel's squad for this summer's tournament despite the best season of his career, in which he scored 15 Premier League goals to help Forest avoid relegation.
Chelsea showed growing interest in Gibbs-White earlier this summer, though the 26-year-old is said to be focused on playing at the highest level, meaning the Champions League. He supported Manchester United as a boy and idolised Wayne Rooney, and Manchester City have made moves for him in the past without completing a deal, including in the summer of 2025, when City signed Rayan Cherki instead for roughly half the cost of Gibbs-White's release clause.
United's current priorities are thought to lie elsewhere, with Bruno Fernandes enjoying a strong season. Gibbs-White was reported in February to be seen as a potential replacement for Fernandes were he to leave United, but there is currently little indication the Portuguese playmaker will change clubs.
How the situation could unfold
Glasner's arrival is understood to have already had a positive effect on Gibbs-White. At the end of last season, with Forest finishing 16th and losing in the Europa League semi-finals, Gibbs-White was weighing his options.
Forest have finished in the bottom half of the table in three of their four seasons since promotion, ending last season 16 points behind Liverpool, who took the final Champions League qualification spot.
Gibbs-White is said to have been energised by Glasner's appointment and impressed by the Austrian coach during Forest's recent training camp in Portugal. He is also watching the club's new signings closely to see whether they, combined with Glasner's arrival, are enough to keep him at Forest.
If Michael Olise leaves Bayern Munich this summer, a move reportedly wanted by Real Madrid, Gibbs-White would be among the candidates considered to replace him. ROOF has strong links with Bayern Munich, who have recruited successfully from the Premier League in recent years, signing Olise in 2024 and Harry Kane the year before.
Other suitors and next steps
Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal are also seeking an attacking midfielder to play alongside former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Ruben Neves, former West Ham United winger Crysencio Summerville and 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema. A move there would be a major step for Gibbs-White in the prime of his career and while his England ambitions remain alive.
Should Gibbs-White leave this summer, it is likely to be for a club overseas. If he stays another year, other options could open up, potentially including Manchester United if this proves to be Fernandes' final season at the club.
When Forest signed Gibbs-White for £25 million plus add-ons following promotion in 2022, then-manager Steve Cooper assured him he would be properly backed even during spells of poor form, something Gibbs-White had not experienced at boyhood club Wolverhampton Wanderers. He is now considered central to Forest's project and will expect similar treatment going forward.
