"£50m+" - Leeds United’s Archie Gray demands as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid interest touted | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Leeds United could face a battle to keep hold of Archie Gray as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid joined the growing list of clubs admiring the youngster.

Archie Gray transfer latest

The 18-year-old has enjoyed a real breakthrough year, establishing himself as a key player for Daniel Farke’s side as they chase automatic promotion back to the Premier League.

Whilst he was a central midfielder in his academy days, Gray has nailed down the right-back position in the first-team, and he has impressed with his composure on the ball and the intensity with which he defends.

Naturally, that form has attracted attention, with reports previously claiming that Liverpool and Spurs are monitoring the teenager.

More recently, it was revealed that European heavyweights Bayern Munich and Real Madrid had scouts in attendance as Gray played the full game in Leeds’ 3-1 win over Hull City on Easter Monday.

Archie Gray’s transfer value

There is a belief that Gray will remain at Elland Road if they win promotion, as they’re a club close to his heart due to his family connections.

However, nothing can be ruled out and the chance to join the German giants or the club that has won more European Cups than anyone else is obviously going to appeal.

Obviously, failure to go up changes the dynamics as well, as Gray’s sale may be necessary as the club would be preparing for another year outside the top-flight.

Either way, it seems Leeds’ resolve may be tested when the window opens, but what sort of fee should they demand for the player? Here our writers share their thoughts…

Chris Gallagher

You’d be talking £50m+ if Leeds go up, but even if they remain in the Championship, he would have to fetch a fee in excess of £35m.

Some will argue that the prices in the summer window will come down due to the financial issues of many Premier League clubs, but Gray is likely to be joining an elite club, where money isn’t really an issue.

The youngster is a special talent, so it’s going to need a special fee to prise him away from Elland Road, and those sort of numbers would fall into that category.

It may seem an awful lot for an individual who only has one season of Championship football under his belt, but anyone who has seen Gray play will recognise that he is going to the top.

Jude Bellingham is an example of the talent that the Championship can produce, and whilst his fee may be used for comparison when looking at Gray, it’s worth noting that Birmingham were in a far more precarious financial position that Leeds are.

Alfie Burns

Leeds know that they've got a real talent on their hands in Archie Gray and, if he is to leave Elland Road, it's going to take a significant fee to get the 18-year-old.

Jude Bellingham is the obvious comparison and Leeds can expect more than the initial £25m Birmingham received for him when he moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2020. The way the market has inflated since then is one factor, as is the fact that Leeds are in a very strong position financially with a lot of saleable assets on their books in the Championship.

Of course, if promotion is achieved you'd probably be doubling that £25m, and if Leeds retain Gray for a year in the Premier League and he kicks on further by adding goals and assists to his game, it's actually quite frightening what he could be worth.

The calibre of clubs chasing him will mean Leeds can't really ever price anyone out of a move for the teenager, yet they can pretty much demand what they want if they win promotion, given he has a contract until the summer of 2028.

they received for Raphinha back in the summer of 2022.