Spurs in Archie Gray transfer talks with Leeds after £40m Brentford deal twist

Tottenham are in talks with Leeds United over the signing of Archie Gray, football.london understands. Looking set to link up with Brentford after undertaking a medical on Saturday following an agreement on personal terms, on Sunday the Championship club rejected a deal from the Bees worth around £40million for the 18-year-old.

LeedsLive reported that the West Yorkshire club were unhappy with the structure of the deal Brentford were offering and cancelled the transfer. Following a standout season in the Championship with Leeds, a host of Premier League clubs have been linked with the Durham-born starlet.

Tottenham are one of those clubs, with football.london previously reporting the club’s strong interest in the youngster. It’s not hard to see why Spurs are now trying to complete a deal for the versatile player after playing an integral role in Leeds’ promotion push that unfortunately culminated in a 1-0 defeat against Southampton in the Championship play-off final.

The club’s failure to regain their place back in the Premier League at the first time of asking means that there will be some high-profile exits from Elland Road this summer. With a reported £190million in outstanding transfer fees owed and one of the Championship’s highest wage bills, Gray can help bring in a sizeable fee to help ease the club’s financial situation.

Talks over Gray securing a move to Tottenham are very much in the early stages at present but the England Under-21 could prove to be a very shrewd acquisition by the football club if a transfer is completed. A midfielder by trade, Gray spent the vast majority of the 2023/24 campaign operating as a right-back.

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The starlet excelled in the role in Daniel Farke’s team and his ability to play at right-back would suit Ange Postecoglou down to the ground. Tottenham do lack a natural replacement for Pedro Porro with Emerson Royal, who has been linked with a summer exit, unfortunately not possessing the qualities to come inside and play from the central areas.

However, that comes naturally to Gray due to the fact that he is a midfielder. The Leeds United man would also provide further competition in midfield, a position he is firmly expected to establish himself in the future.

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Whereas Tottenham are aiming to strike a deal with Leeds United for Gray, the Championship side are also believed to be keen on a couple of Spurs’ own players. football.london understands that Farke would be keen for a reunion with Oliver Skipp after previously working together at Norwich City and that Leeds remain in the hunt for Joe Rodon following his exceptional season on loan at Elland Road.

If Gray does indeed secure a permanent move to Tottenham after the collapse of his Brentford transfer, he will follow Timo Werner and Lucas Bergvall in signing on ahead of the 2024/25 term.