Revealed: Tottenham made new bid for Morgan Gibbs-White after Nottingham Forest threatened legal action - before midfielder phoned Thomas Frank to apologise for transfer U-turn

Tottenham thought they had activated Gibbs-White's £60 million ($80m) release clause in July, only for Forest to deny this and threaten them with legal action over an unsolicited approach. The England international hastily signed a new Forest contract to cap off a bizarre transfer saga. Now, more details about this episode have come to light.

The Athletic states that Europa League winners Tottenham returned with a second, higher bid for Gibbs-White but Forest maintained their position and were angry that Spurs knew about the confidential clause. The England international was reportedly keen on the move but after the deal broke down, he phoned Tottenham boss Frank to apologise.

Forest reportedly believed that Tottenham's offer did not trigger aspects of the release clause beyond the £60m fee. Moreover, a 30-minute meeting with owner Evangelos Marinakis in Portugal is said to have helped Gibbs-White change his mind about leaving City Ground.

If the move had gone through, Gibbs-White could have lined up for Tottenham at home to Burnley on Saturday in their Premier League opener. Instead, he will likely feature for Forest for the visit of Brentford a day later. Spurs, meanwhile, are now targeting Eberechi Eze as an attacking midfield signing.