90min

Tottenham looking to sign £40m Leeds star after Brentford move breaks down

  • Leeds teenager Gray ths subject of strong Premier League interest
  • Reports on Saturday suggested Brentford were closing on £35m transfer
  • Structure of payments rejected by Leeds and Tottenham now looking to pounce

By Toby Cudworth

Archie Gray looks to be leaving Leeds United
Archie Gray looks to be leaving Leeds United / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
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Tottenham Hotspur have moved into pole position for Leeds United's £40m-rated midfielder Archie Gray, according to reports.

The 18-year-old has attracted interest from a number of Premier League and top European sides following a superb breakthrough campaign with Leeds.

Gray played 44 games in the Championship and a further eight in all competitions as Leeds came up desperately short in their quest for immediate promotion back to the Premier League – the 1-0 play-off final defeat to Southampton at Wembley ending manager Daniel Farke's dreams of a third trip up to the top tier of English football.

Reports on Saturday revealed that Brentford were closing on a deal worth £40m plus add-ons for Gray – an indication of how highly thought of the versatile midfielder is – but less than 24 hours later the move appears to be off because of a disagreement over payment structure.

Tottenham have now swooped in to try and agree a deal of their own, The Athletic report, having been one of the sides to have a long-standing interest in Gray.

Gray is understood to have switched his attention to moving to north London, despite having already undergone a medical with Brentford, and a deal to join Ange Postecoglou now appears to be the most likely scenario.

Ange Postecoglou on the touchline during Tottenham's Premier League clash with Sheffield Unite
Ange Postecoglou has spoken of Tottenham's need to strengthen their squad / Matthew Lewis/GettyImages

Tottenham will return to European competition next season after a fifth-place Premier League finish earned a spot in the Europa League, and Postecoglou has made no secret of the need to reinforce his squad with additional talent.

Timo Werner has re-joined the club on loan from RB Leipzig while promising young midfielder Lucas Bergvall has completed his move from Swedish club Djurgarden, but Spurs are expected to try and move on a number of squad players, including Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Giovani Lo Celso.

Their departures would likely see Gray, who already has two England Under-21 caps to his name, play a prominent role next season – he filled in at right-back at times for Leeds last season but is naturally a central midfielder.

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