‘I know he’s going to move’ – Jack Grealish edges closer to Tottenham deal

Tottenham have set their sights on a deal to sign Jack Grealish after missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White, according to their former scout.

Mick Brown, who also worked as the chief scout at Man United and Sunderland and remains very well-connected at his former clubs, exclusively told Football Insider that the 29-year-old has moved up the list of targets for Thomas Frank.

Spurs are aiming to add a new attacking midfield option to their squad, but the England international’s ability to play out wide is seen as a valuable asset.

Football Insider first and exclusively revealed in November that Tottenham are interested in signing Grealish amid growing doubts about his future at the Etihad.

Having now been cast out of Pep Guardiola’s squad, there is no shortage of interest in him, but the finances involved have been a hinderance to his future.

This comes after Football Insider revealed on 22 May that Grealish does not expect to remain at City and feels he has been “frozen out” by Guardiola.

Tottenham set to push for Jack Grealish deal after Man City fall-out

Former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson told Football Insider that Grealish is set to thrive at Tottenham and Thomas Frank will be the ideal manager for his comeback.

Brown, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted that Spurs are now preparing to step up their interest if an agreeable deal can be reached.

“Jack Grealish needs to be playing regularly wherever he goes,” he told Football Insider.

He needs to go to a club where he can produce the type of form we know he’s capable of.

“Tottenham could be that destination, especially after they’ve missed out on the deal for Gibbs-White, because they want to strengthen in that position.

“They’ve been interested in Grealish for a while, so that deal might finally come now.

“Gibbs-White staying at Forest is going to be a big blow, but they’ll have other targets in mind.

“If it’s not Grealish, there will be somebody else, but he is certainly a name on their list.

“He can play in that attacking midfield role but can go out wide as well if needed, and that’s always a valuable asset to have in your side.

“I know he’s going to move from Man City, there’s no question about that, so the opportunity is there.

“It might depend on whether the money is right.”

Real Madrid interested in signing Bernardo Silva

Alongside speculation about Grealish’s future, a number of other City stars have been linked with a move away, including Bernardo Silva.

Football Insider revealed on 18 July that Real Madrid have no chance of signing Silva and he is set to remain at the Etihad beyond the summer window.

The Portugal international has been made City’s captain for the upcoming season in a clear statement of his importance to Guardiola’s plans.

However, Football Insider revealed that Silva’s agent is working to find a move with the midfielder’s contract set to expire at the end of the season as things stand.

‘Let’s get real’ – Nottingham Forest could face ‘big’ financial problems after twist

Nottingham Forest have been warned that they could find themselves in big financial trouble if they are not careful.

The club are currently under the ownership of Greek billionaire Evangelos Marinakis, and he has been heavily investing over the past few years.

Last season, Forest qualified for the Conference League, and have now been promoted to the Europa League following Crystal Palace’s legal battle with UEFA.

Earlier this month, it was announced that the Trentside club have taken out an £80m loan with Apollo Management, a global asset management company based in New York.

Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Forest’s debt could come back to bite them.

‘Nottingham Forest will be in big trouble if relegated.’

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that if Forest get relegated from the Premier League, then they will struggle to service their debt.

Despite an impressive campaign in the top flight last season, the two years before that saw the Nottingham-based side narrowly avoid relegation to the Championship.

Wyness added that Forest have to be careful with how they are using the debt, and must utilise it to generate more revenue.

He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I’m a big fan of debt provided you can service it. The big issue about this debt is when Forest have a bad season, get relegated, god forbid, then that’s when those things come home to roost.

“Obviously at the moment everybody’s riding high at Forest and that’s so far away from their reality, but they’ve got to remember it was only a couple of seasons ago that they were flirting down there, so let’s get real.

“More importantly for me is how you use that debt. If you’re putting that debt into assets that can then generate revenue, i.e., stadium developments and those sorts of things, good. If you’re using it on running expenses, bad. And that’s where I think Forest have got to be careful now.”

Forest lead race for Villa star

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest are the current front-runners in their pursuit of Aston Villa star Jacob Ramsey despite growing interest from rival clubs, sources have told Football Insider.

Forest are facing competition from the likes of Everton, who are planning an ambitious move for the midfielder as they aim to bolster David Moyes’ squad.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side would be prepared to move ahead of rivals for his signature, with the allure of European football and willingness to spend big giving them an advantage.