Leeds have now rejected a record offer from Brentford for Archie Gray, giving the contract to Tottenham, The Pitch Prospect has learned.
Gray, who underwent a medical after the Bees offered to pay £40 million including benefits, is now in limbo.
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It is believed that the starlet has a release clause in his contract with Leeds, which expires today, and Brentford offered more to get a deal done quickly.
But now the application has been rejected due to problems with the payment structure.
Gray, a product of the Leeds Academy, had been offered a contract worth £75,000 a week, an attractive package for the 18-year-old.
The deal is expected to break Brentford’s current transfer record, which stands at £30 million, when they completed a deal with Belgian side Club Brugge for Brazilian striker Igor Thiago in February.
The Bees now have to think everything through again to close the deal.
They are aware that one of their Premier League rivals could still snatch the contract away from them and Tottenham, who are known to be keen on the wonderkid, are currently in negotiations with Leeds.
Gray is also on the radar of Chelsea, Liverpool, Aston Villa and West Ham.
It is believed that Gray would have liked to stay at Leeds but was impressed by Brentford’s plans for him.
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The England youth international only made his senior debut on the opening day of the 2023/24 season.
He made 52 appearances for the Whites in all competitions, contributing one goal and two assists.
Gray began the season as a central midfielder and later played predominantly as a right-back, demonstrating his versatility.
Leeds had hoped to secure a place in the Premier League but missed out on automatic promotion to Leicester and Ipswich.
Despite making it to the play-off final, Daniel Farke’s side lost to Southampton and will now have to spend at least another year in the second division.
It is believed that Gray’s departure would result in them complying with profit and sustainability rules, which would put them in a strong position should Crysencio Summerville receive any offers.
Club chairman Paraag Marathe could not rule out a move by Gray from Elland Road last month.
He said: “It is too early to answer specific questions. I cannot speak about specific players at the moment.”
“If I can paint the big picture, there are certain things we need to do and we will make sure we are fully compliant with the PSR.
“We have to make certain compromises. We have to sit down at the drawing board and think about what steps we need to take.”
“Archie is obviously a great player, but every season brings changes. I can’t comment on that yet, but we’ll see what happens.”
Brentford, on the other hand, are looking to improve on their 16th place in the Premier League from last season.
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