Archie Gray backed to use Tottenham move as springboard for Real Madrid as Leeds transfer confirmation awaits

Leeds United star Archie Gray could use a move to Tottenham as a platform for a future Real Madrid transfer

Leeds and Tottenham are still to confirm the transfer of Archie Gray to north London in a proposed £40m deal – but the teenage star is already being backed to use the move to Spurs as a platform towards a future switch to Real Madrid.

The Whites were forced to negotiate the sale of Gray to avoid a potential points penalty for failing to comply with strict Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) with the situation exasperated by the failure by Leeds to secure promotion back to the Premier League last season. And with Gray seen as the best talent to emerge through the Elland Road ranks in a generation, strong interest in him has emerged from a plethora of big-spending clubs.

And while the likes of Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool and Manchester City have all been on the 18-year-old’s trail, news broke on Saturday afternoon that it was Brentford who had entered talks with Leeds over a would-be deal for the Championship’s Young Player of the Year.

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The Bees were willing to pay an initial £35m, rising to £40m for Gray, whose imminent sale caused outrage among the West Yorkshire club’s fanbase, still reeling from their play-off final defeat just five weeks ago.

However, with Brentford’s rejected, it was Tottenham who quickly moved into pole position for his signing, with TEAMtalk understanding that, if he were to leave Elland Road, then a move to north London was seen as more preferrable.

And with Gray travelling across London for a medical and talks with Spurs on Sunday, confirmation over the deal is still waiting with the clock passing midnight over the June 30, PSR deadline.

Archie Gray latest: Confirmation of Tottenham transfer awaits

While personal terms are not thought to be an issue, Leeds’ interest in signing Tottenham’s Oliver Skipp and Joe Rodon is, and it is that side of the negotiations that is understood to have delayed the potential deal from being announced.

Quite how that would affect Leeds’ bid to avoid a points penalty from PSR remains to be seen and there is clearly still a lot of twists and turns around both Gray’s transfer and the Whites’ financial state still to be determined.

And ultimately, while the deals for Rodon and Skipp could still be done from a Leeds point of view albeit later in the summer, they are likely to be done so independently of the deal for Gray.

In the meantime, former Tottenham winger Chris Waddle believes Gray will use a move to Tottenham as a springboard for a future move to Real Madrid, much in the same way as Gareth Bale and Luka Modric did so in the recent past.

“I’ve seen enough of Archie Gray to say that he is a very good player,” Waddle told Genting. “He’s a versatile player that can perform in a number of roles: midfield, full-back. That tells you two things about him: his manager trusts him to perform in numerous roles and he has the intelligence to do it.

“That’s rare for a player of 18-years-old. He was ever-present in that Leeds United team last season, so again, that’s a good sign. His best role is in central midfield, and I think that’s where he prefers to play.”

Gray tipped to use Spurs move to become future Real Madrid star

An impressed Waddle has branded Gray an ‘ideal Tottenham project’ and believes he will thrive under the management of Ange Postecoglou should the move to play under the Aussie be finalised.

Waddle also believes Gray will take his game on to the next level in N17 and use the move as a platform to a blockbuster switch to the Bernabeu, much in the same way Bale and Modric did.

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“He’s an ideal Tottenham project. Tottenham have a history of buying young players and giving them an opportunity.

“We’ve seen Tottenham make some very canny moves in the transfer market over the years with younger players. They can obviously see the potential that’s there, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Gray followed the likes of Gareth Bale and Luka Modric by joining Real Madrid for a massive fee if he lives up to his potential.

“Tottenham can obviously see his potential. He was probably the pick of the Championship players in terms of his age and ability. I think he could easily step up to the level of the Premier League.

“Whether he gets straight into the Tottenham team is a different question. I’m sure they will have a precise development plan for him which could see him join another Premier League club on loan. He’d be a good signing for Tottenham Hotspur because he’s only going to get better.”