Leeds United must keep Jamie Shackleton after new Archie Gray transfer update

The last weekend in June was a fairly hectic one for everyone involved at Leeds United because of the ongoing Archie Gray transfer saga.

The West Yorkshire club accepted a £40million bid from Brentford for their starlet, however in the 11th hour, they changed their mind and rejected their bid [Sky Sports].

This resulted in a lot of confusion but also opened the door for other Premier League and European clubs to take a swipe at acquiring the 18-year-old.

And now, thanks to a fresh update from Leeds Live on 1 July, it's believed that as the Premier League PSR deadline has passed, Chelsea could make their approaches for Gray "even more deadly."

This means that although Tottenham are pushing to bring the midfielder to North London, the Blues could swoop in with a late bid.

Gray's departure would no doubt leave a massive void for Daniel Farke to fill, however, Jamie Shackleton could be the answer the German is looking for.

Why Leeds United need to retain Jamie Shackleton this summer

Shackleton has been with Leeds since the age of seven and has been inconsistently involved in the first team fold since the 2018/19 season.

Much like Gray, he can be deployed in midfield or right back and when called upon, has more often than not performed well.

However, his future at West Yorkshire is still up in the air after his contract expired on 30 June.

Leeds have offered Shackleton an extension but he is yet to agree on terms to stay.

In fact, the Yorkshire Evening Post reported on 28 June that the 24-year-old was close to confirming an Elland Road exit.

But, with the seemingly imminent departure of Gray, it would make no sense for Leeds to allow the Yorkshireman to leave just yet.

He can fulfil the exact roles that Gray can and would be good for their PSR troubles as all they'd need to do is extend his stay, freeing up their budget for other areas of the pitch that need attention.

In other Leeds news, a European club have made a £5million bid for a Whites defender.

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