Archie Gray is closing in on a £40m move to Premier League side Brentford from Leeds United and it is now being claimed he is in line for a massive pay increase.
The 18-year-old starred for Leeds during 2023-24 in a number of positions. Mostly at right-back, but also in central midfield and the 10 role as Leeds came within a whisker of an instant Premier League return.
It had been expected that Leeds would keep Gray with the player making it clear throughout the season he is simply delighted to be playing for Leeds, and signing a new long-term contract back in January.
But Brentford have come in and decided to take advantage of the Leeds’ need to sell before the end of the calendar year in the eyes of Profit & Sustainability Rules, tabling a huge £40m offer with add-ons.
How much Gray is going to earn at Premier League side Brentford
Leeds clearly needed a big-name sale before July 1 in order to feel as though they would comply with the rules. The July 1 deadline has turned into a mini-deadline for clubs to sell to avoid points deductions.
This appears to be the case with Newcastle and Leicester too, as they close in on the sales of Yankuba Minteh to Burnley and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea which sees Enzo Maresca raid his old side.
Leeds did not need the initial claims of £190m, but did need to sell one big player to get them over the line. Certainly, Gray will be get a pay rise with TalkSPORT’s Alex Crook claiming he will get £75,000 a week.
49ers potentially backed into a corner and forced to sell Gray
The 49ers are not delusional, they know that the sale of Gray will hurt Leeds fans and weaken their relationship with the supporters. Letting Gray go will have been their absolute last resort this summer.
But Leeds needed to sell to put them in a position where they were on the right side of the rules and Gray seemingly, is the only offer on the table. Leeds fans are understandably fuming that Gray is being sold.
However, it might be that The 49ers had no choice. With no bids on the table for the likes of Crysencio Summerville, Willy Gnonto or Illan Meslier, they might have been forced to accept the sale of teen Gray.