Premier League giants on RED ALERT as Archie Gray deal collapses

Robin Bairner

30 Jun 2024 10:28 BST
3 min read

Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool have been given unexpected fresh hope of landing Leeds United wonderkid Archie Gray.

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Gray had been expected to complete a transfer to Brentford, with FootballTransfers confirming on Saturday that a deal was in its advanced stages.

The 18-year-old, who can play either in central midfield or down the right-hand side, had taken the first part of his medical with the Premier League side but it has been reported that Championship outfit Leeds have rejected a formal proposal, putting the move in jeopardy.

Current ETV

Archie Gray

AM, M (C), DM (R)

Leeds United

Archie Gray

AM, M (C), DM (R)

Leeds United

ETV Range

€15.4M - €25.6M

Fabrizio Romano reports the deal is “currently off”.

This decision from the Elland Road club has blown the future of Gray wide open.

Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund have been closely following the player in recent weeks and could choose to make another move, while Manchester United and Liverpool have previously taken an interest in the youngster.

Reports indicate that Leeds are only likely to sell Gray for a fee in excess of €35 million (£30m), which is significantly higher than his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €20.5m.

What next for Archie Gray?

Gray managed to rise to every challenge in his breakout campaign, including a Man of the Match display against Chelsea in the FA Cup – a performance that has no doubt fuelled the Stamford Bridge’s side interest in the player.

Leeds boss Daniel Farke said prior to that encounter: "I was a bit more careful in my judgement at the beginning of the season because you can't just rely on a 17-year-old as a cornerstone of your team.

"You can't really predict how it will work out in terms of his body, how he can handle the load, especially in the Championship with such a tough, physical league. But he's doing excellently. My concerns I had at the beginning of the season have eased up a lot."

According to data analytics firm SciSports, Gray has the potential to become a key player at Liverpool, Man Utd or Chelsea. Indeed, the Leeds prospect is so good, the experts believe he has the capacity to become comfortably be the best player at any of these clubs.