Leeds United fielding enquiries for 'tremendous' Archie Gray as Premier League giants circle

Chelsea are the latest to have their interest in the teenager brought to public attention, by a report from The Telegraph, and Tottenham Hotspur are understood to be keen. None of this comes as any surprise to Leeds fans, given Gray has been on the radar of the biggest and most successful clubs in the English top flight for a number of years. There were previous attempts to lure him from Thorp Arch but it was felt at that time by his Leeds-entwined family that staying put represented his best chance of a senior breakthrough and getting his development off to the right start.

Last season Gray did indeed get the senior breakthrough that was long awaited at Elland Road. His age prevented him from gaining any experience of men’s football under Marcelo Bielsa, though he was included in training sessions and on matchday trips, and then a combination of injuries, illness and a relegation battle cost him Premier League involvement under Jesse Marsch and his subsequent replacements. But with Daniel Farke in charge last season Gray was almost ever-present in the first team, playing in his preferred central midfield role and at right-back. His performances retained Farke’s trust all season as he saw off the challenge of more experienced right-backs, and he ended the campaign among the EFL awards.

The sheer scale of his involvement in an unfamiliar role has evidently not deterred potential suitors. Speculation in Germany has revealed Borussia Dortmund’s interest to go with the admiration of both Spurs and Chelsea. Leeds sources admit they have received interest from other clubs in the 18-year-old, though nothing has reached the stage of official bids. And it seems unlikely that those three clubs will be alone in testing Leeds’ resolve if the starter pistol sounds on a bidding war.

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Though Gray, through not only his family name but his talent, is considered the crown jewel by the club’s fanbase, it is no secret that Leeds will have to stomach the loss of an asset this summer in order to comply with the Championship’s Profitability and Sustainability regulations. A Red Bull investment and shirt sponsorship deal has significantly strengthened their position but it has not allowed the club to rule out departures. That’s something that was abundantly clear when club chairman Paraag Marathe spoke two days after the play-off final defeat at Wembley and according to club sources it remains the case a month on.

“It's a little too early for me to answer specific questions, it's still, what is it 36 hours or whatever since the final, so it's just I can't talk on specific players right now," said Marathe. "But if I can paint the big picture for you, there are certain things that we need to do and we will make sure we are fully compliant with P&S, as we always have been. And there are certain trade-offs that we have to make and so we'll have to get to the drawing board and figure out which moves we have to make sure that we are compliant. It's too early to say. Obviously Archie is a tremendous player, as are all of the players who put in so much effort for us, but you know, every season brings change and so I can't yet comment on it, but we'll see what happens."

Crysencio Summerville is another whose exit would ease the club’s position with regards to P&S and though Brighton are keen on him, that appears to be still at the expression of interest stage. Losing either man will be a bitter pill to swallow for a fanbase desperate to see their club return to the top flight at the second time of asking, before the parachute payments dwindle completely and promotion becomes an even tougher task. Losing both would be painful in the extreme. At some stage, however, Leeds will be counting the cash that comes in for one of their most valuable young guns and at the same time counting the cost of staying in the Championship.