Gareth Southgate has already sent clear message as Tottenham ‘try to hijack’ Chelsea and Arsenal deal

Gareth Southgate has already marked Leeds United's young gun, Archie Gray, for big things - which will only delight Spurs fans as they move closer to snapping up the youngster.

Durham-born and bred 18-year-old Gray had a stormer of a season with Leeds in The Championship across 2023/24, clocking up 44 appearances under the stewardship of Daniel Farke. Not just lighting up the Championship, he's also been dazzling on the international stage for England U21, bagging a goal against Azerbaijan in his first cap earlier this year.

Gray's cracking performances caught the attention of Southgate who heaped praise on the midfielder's dedication to his club back in May and dropped hints about future call-ups to the senior England squad. When rolling out his Euro 2024 squad last month, Southgate said: "There are some players with the Under-21s who are doing exceptionally well, especially in midfield.

"The likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Harvey Elliott, Rico [Lewis] was with us last time, Archie Gray at Leeds is doing very, very well I have to say, so there are a number of players in that group we could move in." Despite a respectable third-place finish in the Championship, a Play-Off final defeat to Southampton at Wembley has seen Premier League suits hoping another season in the second tier might nudge Gray towards a change of scenery.

Despite receiving a hefty £40million bid from Brentford for their midfield ace, the Peacocks held firm, even though they agreed for him to undergo a medical last weekend. Now, Spurs have reportedly kicked off negotiations for the signature of Gray after keeping tabs on the youngster for several months.

Tottenham's boss, Ange Postecoglu, is set to hold talks with the Leeds prodigy on Sunday, as he aims to secure an exciting addition to his squad, reports the Express. Despite interest from rivals Chelsea and Arsenal, it's claimed that Gray has a preference for a move to Tottenham as per The Athletic.

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And Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe has hinted at the possibility of selling the midfielder, suggesting a transfer might be on the horizon. Marathe explained: "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 PSR, 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."

With the departure of Tanguy Ndombele from Spurs, Gray's arrival would certainly bolster the midfield at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, the north London side will need to meet Leeds' reported £30m valuation to land the highly-rated talent.