Fresh twist in Archie Gray transfer saga as Leeds respond to Brentford bid and rivals plan hijack

The Archie Gray transfer saga has taken a new turn as the Leeds United star may not be leaving Elland Road after all – with another potential suitor plotting a move for him.

Leeds academy product Gray is the latest member of the famous family to play for the Yorkshire outfit, following in the footsteps of great uncle Eddie, grandfather Frank, and father Andy.

Gray was just 15 when he was named on the bench for a Premier League game against Arsenal in December 2021 under then-boss Marcelo Bielsa.

There was always a great deal of excitement about his pedigree but he had to be patient before being given his first-team opportunity.

That came last August under new manager Daniel Farke at the age of 17, with Leeds now plying their trade in the Championship – after falling from the Premier League in 2022/23.

Such was his calibre, the England youth international was trusted to play at right-back under Farke, despite being a midfielder by trade.

His performances were rewarded in January with a new contract until the summer of 2028, as the teenager set his sights on securing Leeds an immediate return to the Premier League.

The youngster went onto make 52 appearances in all competitions in 2023/24 but Leeds just missed out on getting back to the English top-flight after losing to Southampton in the Championship Play-off Final in May.

After failing to get out of the Championship at the first time of asking, the inevitable spectre of profit and sustainability roared into view, meaning Leeds would have to sell at least one of their prized assets to comply with financial fair play rules.

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Many suspected winger Crysencio Summerville, Leeds’ top scorer and Championship player of the year, would depart; or perhaps fellow wideman Wilfried Gnonto – who tried to force an Elland Road exit earlier this season.

But Leeds fans went into meltdown mode when reports stated that Brentford looked set to have secured Gray’s signature in a shock £35m move, with the midfielder set to undergo a medical.

Gray, who TEAMtalk revealed has also been on the radar of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Arsenal, has previously said he wants to stay at Leeds – so this news caught the club’s fanbase completely off guard.

Many speculated that Leeds’ owners, 49ers Enterprises, were doing this as their financial situation is worse than many feared, and that they had to make a sale – to avoid a points deduction – before the end of year accounts on June 30.

Leeds reject Brentford bid

However, this deal may not be all said and done as several trusted Leeds sources claim the Whites have rejected Brentford’s offer for Gray.

TEAMtalk understands that Leeds have turned down this lucrative proposal, which would act as pure profit on the balance sheet as he is an academy player, because they are holding off for more bidders and trying to drive up the price.

Incidentally, Brentford’s attempt to gain a march on the opposition may not work. According to fresh reports on Sunday, Spurs are plotting to hijack the Bees’ pursuit of Gray – who is said to have agreed personal terms with Thomas Frank’s side.

Now, it’s been claimed Tottenham are plotting a last-ditch attempt to take him to north London instead before Sunday’s accounting deadline.

This saga may have many more twists and turns yet.

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