Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on the permanent signing of Archie Gray from Leeds United while Joe Rodon is due to return to Elland Road for a fee of £10m.
Gray is about to end up at Tottenham after travelling to Brentford on Saturday night to undergo a medical before Leeds decided to reject Brentford’s bid, due to their structure of paying the £40m fee.
It comes after Aston Villa held talks to sign Gray last week, before Brentford made their move. But with Brentford failing in their approach, Tottenham took advantage and have struck a deal for Gray.
In the same negotiations that took place for Gray to join Tottenham, the two sides agreed a separate transfer that sees Rodon return to Elland Road permanently after Ipswich had a £10m bid rejected.
But Spurs did say no to Leeds in one aspect, with the Whites requesting a reunion between a Spurs player and Daniel Farke:
Tottenham rejected Leeds approach to include another player
While losing Gray is a blow, Leeds fans are coming to the realisation that with the PSR’s July 1 deadline looming, it was crucial that The Whites made a big-name sale or risk a 2024-25 points deduction.
It sees Leeds rake in £30m in total and Rodon, a crucial part of the Leeds side that came so close to promotion last season. Having Rodon back is a massive silver lining amid the disappointing loss of Gray.
Football London reporter Alasdair Gold claims Rodon was not the only Tottenham player Leeds tried to include in the deal. Indeed, Leeds have shown interest in midfielder Oliver Skipp this summer.
Skipp would have been a brilliant addition in Leeds midfield
Described as “fabulous” by Glenn Hoddle, Skipp starred under Farke during the German’s second promotion as Norwich manager. He played every league game, much like Ethan Ampadu, in midfield.
Right now, Skipp is struggling to get into Tottenham’s side given the presence of Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Gio Lo Celso. But, Spurs rejected Leeds approach to include him.
That is, despite reports claiming Skipp would have fancied a move to Elland Road. Indeed, Tottenham think they can attract Premier League interest and want top dollar if they are to lose a homegrown talent.