Leeds United’s Archie Gray prepares for medical at Brentford after agreeing personal terms over transfer

Archie Gray is set to undergo a medical at Brentford after agreeing personal terms to join the west London club from Leeds United.

A host of Premier League and other European sides have been chasing the 18-year-old midfielder, however Brentford have come out in the strongest position and are now working to seal a deal.

If all goes to plan from the player’s side, Brentford can be expected to reach an agreement with Leeds for a fee of around £35m.

Interest remains from elsewhere and Leeds are not resigned to losing such a highly-rated talent either, although their financial position may leave them with no choice but to reluctantly sanction his exit.

The England Under-21 international enjoyed a breakout campaign with Leeds last term – making 28 appearances in all competitions – and was a regular in both midfield and right-back when Daniel Farke’s side arrived in the play-off final.

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He is under contract at Elland Road until 2028. Gray’s previous contract with the club was due to expire in 2025, but he signed a three-year extension in January.

Gray came through the club’s academy system and was selected in a Premier League first-team squad at the age of 15 by former manager Marcelo Bielsa.

He was named on the bench a further five times in 2021-22, making no appearance before his performances for Leeds in the Championship helped win him a number of admirers.

Gray enjoyed a breakout season for Leeds (George Wood/Getty Images)

Leeds are under pressure to sell to help balance their books and not risk any potential profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) penalties.

Following their failure to gain promotion back to the top flight, Leeds’ ‘acceptable loss’ limit under the PSR will drop from around £83m to around £61m over a three-year cycle.

As a home player, the fee recovered for Gray would be considered pure profit.

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Asked by The Athletic In May, if Gray will be sold, chairman Paraag Marathe said: “It is a little too early to answer specific questions. I can’t talk about specific players right now.

“If I can present the big picture, there are certain things that we need to do and we will ensure that we are fully compliant with the PnS. There are certain compromises we have to make. We need to get to the drawing board to determine what moves we need to make.

“Obviously Archie is a great player, but every season brings changes. I can’t comment yet, but we’ll see what happens.”

Brentford finished 16th in the Premier League last season to secure a fourth consecutive campaign in the top flight under Thomas Frank after winning promotion in 2020-21.

(Top photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)