Premier League has set precedent on Nottingham Forest blocking Morgan Gibbs-White's Spurs transfer and it involves Man Utd

A previous Premier League transfer ruling may have set a precedent for the ongoing Morgan Gibbs-White saga between Nottingham Forest and Spurs.

Shock news on Thursday evening revealed that Tottenham Hotspur had triggered the £60million release clause included in Forest star Gibbs-White's contract, with the Englishman expected to join in the coming days.

Gibbs-White has previously been heavily linked with Manchester City, but was reportedly preparing to undergo a medical in London ahead of the move to Spurs.

However, out of nowhere the deal appears to have temporarily fallen through as Nottingham Forest have blocked the move and reported Tottenham Hotspur to the Premier League for allegedly making an illegal approach to their star player.

Although the Premier League is yet to officially respond to the claims, its previous actions during a similar case between Manchester United and Liverpool may hint at how it could react.

Spurs have reportedly triggered Gibbs-White's release clause. (Image: Getty)

According to the Daily Mail, Forest have ceased all communication with Spurs regarding Gibbs-White's transfer and have even threatened to sue their rivals over the situation.

While it is not yet known if the Premier League will block the transfer entirely, the disagreement will certainly delay any potential move, frustrating both Spurs and Gibbs-White.

However, the Premier League's official reaction to Liverpool's attempts to sign Gabriel Heinze from historic rivals United back in 2007 may provide an insight into what could happen regarding Gibbs-White.

During the summer of 2007, Heinze hoped to make the move to Anfield, claiming that the Red Devils had given him written permission to join another club for a fee of £6.8m.

However, when it became clear that the Argentine wanted to join Liverpool, United blocked the move as they did not want to sell him to a Premier League rival.

After a legal battle regarding the move, the Premier League arbitration panel concluded that the permission "was unambiguous in that it envisages only an international transfer".

Gabriel Heinze made 83 appearances for Manchester United. (Image: Getty)

The full statement read: "The arbitration panel's verdict read: "The Premier League Board-appointed panel have heard submissions of evidence from both parties and has ruled to dismiss the player's case.

"The hearing concluded that nature and intention of the disputed 13 June 2007 letter, especially when taken in context of verbal discussions and Manchester United FC's transfer policy, was unambiguous in that it envisages only an international transfer.

"Furthermore, the hearing finds the letter constitutes an 'agreement to agree' and did not create an obligation or binding agreement for the club to transfer the player to any particular club."

Both United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and chief executive David Gill were present at the hearing and were said to be happy that United's case was upheld.

Just days later, the 29-year-old instead joined Spanish giants Real Madrid for a reported £8m fee, signing a four-year deal.

Although it remains unclear if the Premier League will react in the same way to Forest's case against Spurs, if the London club were to be found guilty, it is believed that they could be handed a large fine or even a transfer ban.