Leeds United to secure multiple lucrative clauses in high-profile Archie Gray transfer
Archie Gray will likely want to leave Leeds United this summer and the club will be able to secure plenty of lucrative clauses to let him leave, believes Adam Pope.
The BBC journalist discussed the potential departure of the homegrown star on Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet on 3 June, comparing the midfielder’s situation to Jude Bellingham’s move from Birmingham to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, and suggested the only question for the transfer window is how much Gray will be sold for.
The 18-year-old burst into Daniel Farke’s first team this season and excelled in making 52 appearances in all competitions, so Pope believes there is little question he is ready to step up to a level higher than the Whites can provide after failing to gain promotion.
Pope said (22m 10s): “He’s given his all this year. He was still the best player on the pitch, I felt, for Leeds in the final. So he’s given his all, he’ll want to play at the best level, and I think the Bellingham thing, I know he’s a monstrosity isn’t he, but Archie is so so good so why wouldn’t you want to go and play at the highest level? Because Leeds aren’t going to provide that for you in the short term.
“So what you then ask is what’s he worth? What do you sell him for? What’s an acceptable price? What is Archie Gray worth?”
“You’d have to have a lot of sell-ons, a lot of add-ons, as well,” added Jonny Buchan.
“I tell you what,” Pope replied, “I think they’ll get them as well.”
Leeds United exit inevitable for Daniel Farke favourite?
Bellingham winning his first Champions League trophy for Real Madrid at the weekend has capped off a scarcely believable ascent since he left St. Andrews four years ago.
So it is tempting to see any comparisons to the England international as hyperbolic, but the same was said of the Bernabeu star at the time when he had his Birmingham shirt retired [Sky Sports].
Had Daniel Farke succeeded in leading Leeds United back to the Premier League then it would have been no surprise for Gray to stay at Elland Road and test himself in the English top flight, given his extensive family connections to the club.
But on the back of a campaign where he became an emergency starter at the beginning of the season and then never looked back it would have to go down as a major coup if he was still a Whites player when the new season kicks off.
Failure to capitalise on what had largely been an excellent campaign when it mattered will make it harder to sign summer targets and necessitate key exits, and none would be bigger than Gray.
He has proven himself more than capable of competing in the Championship and the general expectation is that players who impress immediately at a young age will continue to improve exponentially over the next few years, although it is far from that simple.
If he is a similar sort of generational talent to Bellingham then any more time spent in the second tier likely would be a waste, but he still has a long way to go to reach that sort of level and equally plenty of time left in his career.
It would probably be an even greater blow to lose Gray this summer than it would the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter, so if the club are to lose him they will have to demand a huge deal.
In other Leeds United news, the ideal destination has been mooted for a bargain player the Whites are trying to snap up.
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