Liverpool tipped to secure signing of £50m-rated Leeds star but Tottenham transfer flop serves as warning

Archie Gray is a target for Liverpool
Liverpool are being tipped to secure the signing of Leeds United star Archie Gray over the summer, though a major caveat over the potential £50m deal has been put in place by a former Reds star.
The teenage star has been a revelation for Daniel Farke’s side this season, having made his debut on the first day of the Championship season and a 2-2 draw with Cardiff at Elland Road. Since then, Gray has become an indispensable part of the Leeds United side, operating initially as a midfielder, but for the majority of the season as a right-back.
Gray’s calmness under pressure, ability to read the play and his tenacity to move into midfield and support the attacking play when Leeds push forwards, has earned the 17-year-old some serious plaudits.
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And it comes as no surprise that the likes of Manchester City, Crystal Palace and Everton have all sent scouts to check on the teenager’s progress this season.
TEAMtalk also exclusively revealed that Gray has earned admiration from Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund, who are famed for prizing some of the top young talents from England and turning them into household names. Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham and, more recently, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, are three recent examples of that.
However, the strongest interest of all has undoubtedly come from Liverpool, whose scouts have been in awe of the teenager and have strongly recomnmended him to club bosses as a top target for the Reds and whomever their next manager after Jurgen Klopp will be.
Leeds themselves are under no illusions at just how in demand their star man is and have already moved to secure the player to a new deal.
Liverpool tipped to secure signing of Archie Gray this summer
Indeed, that new arrangement has seen Gray, whose father Andy, grandfather Frank and, most famously, great Uncle Eddie, also turned out for Leeds, commit to the West Yorkshire side until summer 2028.
With Archie’s younger brother, Harry, also on the club’s books, the Gray family affair with the Whites is stronger than ever before.
That new deal with the more senior of the younger generation of Grays certainly gives Leeds some breathing space and not only ties their star man down for the forseeable future, but would also grant Leeds some serious protection if and when one of the Premier League heavyweights comes calling.
Per widespread reports, though,, Liverpool are expected to make a firm move for Gray come the summer window.
However, with Leeds pushing hard for promotion – and facing a Box Office top-of-the-table showdown with Leicester on Friday evening, the Whites believe that a return to the Premier League can ensure Gray remains a fixture in their side.
Any failure to go up, though, and it would leave Leeds vulnerable to the teenager’s sale, especially given he is now seen as their most sellable asset.
Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James would certainly endorse his signing and, speaking to GGRecon, believes the teenager is destined for the top.
He also does not back the general consensus that Gray would be better off sticking at Leeds if they do fail to win promotion.
“For a young player to be able to show the ability and consistency in order to be in that side is impressive. Leeds are a big team, let’s be fair, and the expectation at Leeds, especially the Championship, is that they shouldn’t be there and should be in the Premier League,” James said.
Gray would be wary of leaving Leeds
Describing the addition of Gray as a ‘smart signing’, James added: “So in many ways, he’s learning what it would be like to play at Liverpool because the expectation at Liverpool is the same, but on a different level of course.
“Would it be better for him in the long-term to stay at Leeds United next season? I’m not sure.”
Gray himself, having committed to a new deal, has made clear his wish to stay and how he is living his boyhood dream turning out for the club he supported as a boy.
And with a strong Leeds legacy behind him, there is certainly no hurry to push for an exit from Elland Road any time soon, with the player seen as ‘way ahead of schedule’ in terms of where his family expected him to be at at this stage of his fledgling career.
Gray himself only needs to look at the past example of the last Leeds teenager to be lured away to the Premier League in Jack Clarke, who moved to Tottenham in a £9.8m deal in summer 2019.
Clarke, however, struggled to impose himself at Spurs, before eventually moving to Sunderland for a cut-price fee, though with Tottenham taking a serious chunk of any future transfer.
Since the move to Wearside, Clarke has fulfilled his potential, scoring 26 goals over the course of the last two seasons.
Gray will be wary of following suit and departing Elland Road that bit too soon.
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