Leeds United player sales update as transfer requests needed at Elland Road
Leeds United will only sell players if transfer requests are made this summer amid Archie Gray’s impending move to Tottenham, according to David Ornstein.
Writing for The Athletic in a post shared on X (1 July) Ornstein said Gray’s sale to Spurs will put the club “in a good position” when it comes to profit and sustainability rules going forward.
The deal for Gray, which includes defender Joe Rodon heading the other way (Graham Smyth, 1 July) will therefore mean United are under far less pressure to sell other high-value players in order to meet PSR guidelines this summer [Graham Smyth, 1 July].
Gray is one of several who had already been linked with moves away from Elland Road, and his transfer fee will allow the Whites to hold the cards, only sanctioning future transfers if players request to leave.
Archie Gray transfer gives Leeds United financial leeway
The deal for Gray will in essence be worth around £25-£30million to Leeds once Rodon is factored into the equation, though there remains some conflicting reports as to whether Rodon is part of the Spurs package for Gray or whether it will be two separate deals.
After losing the Championship play-off final to Southampton in May, United were consigned to a second consecutive campaign in English football’s second tier and the financial challenges which come with it.
Owing a reported £190million in transfer fees already this summer, an exodus similar to last year – albeit on permanent deals instead of loans – looked likely, but Gray’s move to Spurs may alleviate the pressure [Kieran Maguire, 27 May].
Chalking off their PSR worries in one fell swoop could have big, and positive, ramifications for Leeds, suddenly freeing up 49ers Enterprises to chance their arm on potential incomings in the transfer market.
Players will still inevitably depart Elland Road in the coming weeks – some will push to play at the very highest level – but the stability brought in by Gray’s transfer fee could be the difference between keeping or selling a player like Crysencio Summerville – the Championship’s Player of the Year last season [Estadio Deportivo, 1 July].
Losing Gray to help keep the core of a squad which won 90 points last season together may prove to have been a masterstroke come May 2025, and now is the time for the Whites to capitalise on that.
In other Leeds news, another centre-back looks set to leave the club permanently after Charlie Cresswell.
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