TEAMtalk

Tottenham have secured the signing of Leeds United wonderkid Archie Gray and an unwanted Spurs star is set to go the other way, per Fabrizio Romano.

Gray, 18, is widely considered to be one of the most exciting young talents in English football and his departure represents a major blow for the Whites.

Several clubs were linked with Gray including Brentford, who reportedly came close to tying up a £35m deal with Leeds.

However, Gray’s move to Tottenham has just been given the ‘here we go’ seal of approval by Romano, which will no doubt have Spurs fans excited.

“Archie Gray to Tottenham, here we go! Agreement in principle between all parties involved, waiting to sign docs,” Romano posted on X.

“Spurs are set to pay fee around £40m, long term deal for Gray who’s accepted deal to join Tottenham.”

Interestingly, Romano adds that Leeds are set to sign Spurs centre-back Joe Rodon in a ‘separate transaction’ for around £10m, which is one positive for Daniel Farke and his team.

Tottenham were previously asking for £15m for the defender so £10m represents a good bargain.

Rodon played a key role in Leeds’ 2023/24 campaign that saw them narrowly miss out on promotion and he’ll hope to get the job done in the coming campaign.

Archie Gray to have Tottenham medical imminently

TEAMtalk sources say Gray will undertake his medical imminently and it’s expected that his move to Tottenham will be officially completed by the end of today (Monday).

Gray, who grew up as a Leeds supporter, was not actively looking to leave Elland Road this summer but the Whites’ board took the difficult decision to part ways with him in order to fund their own summer transfers.

Rodon will be the first of several new additions for Farke’s side as the manager aims to secure promotion at the second time of asking.

As for Tottenham, they have a fantastic young player on their hands in Gray and many expect him to become an England regular in the coming years.

A versatile player, Gray’s natural position is in centre-midfield but he also featured as a right-back last term, so will provide cover in several areas.

Spurs could therefore kill two birds with one stone by signing Gray, as he could be a replacement for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Emerson Royal, who have both been heavily linked with exits.

If Gray’s career continues on its current trajectory, you’d expect him to be worth far more than the £40m Tottenham have paid for him in a few years.

Leeds and Tottenham are still to confirm the transfer of Archie Gray to north London in a proposed £40m deal – but the teenage star is already being backed to use the move to Spurs as a platform towards a future switch to Real Madrid.

The Whites were forced to negotiate the sale of Gray to avoid a potential points penalty for failing to comply with strict Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) with the situation exasperated by the failure by Leeds to secure promotion back to the Premier League last season. And with Gray seen as the best talent to emerge through the Elland Road ranks in a generation, strong interest in him has emerged from a plethora of big-spending clubs.

And while the likes of Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool and Manchester City have all been on the 18-year-old’s trail, news broke on Saturday afternoon that it was Brentford who had entered talks with Leeds over a would-be deal for the Championship’s Young Player of the Year.

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The Bees were willing to pay an initial £35m, rising to £40m for Gray, whose imminent sale caused outrage among the West Yorkshire club’s fanbase, still reeling from their play-off final defeat just five weeks ago.

However, with Brentford’s rejected, it was Tottenham who quickly moved into pole position for his signing, with TEAMtalk understanding that, if he were to leave Elland Road, then a move to north London was seen as more preferrable.

And with Gray travelling across London for a medical and talks with Spurs on Sunday, confirmation over the deal is still waiting with the clock passing midnight over the June 30, PSR deadline.

Archie Gray latest: Confirmation of Tottenham transfer awaits

While personal terms are not thought to be an issue, Leeds’ interest in signing Tottenham’s Oliver Skipp and Joe Rodon is, and it is that side of the negotiations that is understood to have delayed the potential deal from being announced.

Quite how that would affect Leeds’ bid to avoid a points penalty from PSR remains to be seen and there is clearly still a lot of twists and turns around both Gray’s transfer and the Whites’ financial state still to be determined.

And ultimately, while the deals for Rodon and Skipp could still be done from a Leeds point of view albeit later in the summer, they are likely to be done so independently of the deal for Gray.

In the meantime, former Tottenham winger Chris Waddle believes Gray will use a move to Tottenham as a springboard for a future move to Real Madrid, much in the same way as Gareth Bale and Luka Modric did so in the recent past.

“I’ve seen enough of Archie Gray to say that he is a very good player,” Waddle told Genting. “He’s a versatile player that can perform in a number of roles: midfield, full-back. That tells you two things about him: his manager trusts him to perform in numerous roles and he has the intelligence to do it.

“That’s rare for a player of 18-years-old. He was ever-present in that Leeds United team last season, so again, that’s a good sign. His best role is in central midfield, and I think that’s where he prefers to play.”

Gray tipped to use Spurs move to become future Real Madrid star

An impressed Waddle has branded Gray an ‘ideal Tottenham project’ and believes he will thrive under the management of Ange Postecoglou should the move to play under the Aussie be finalised.

Waddle also believes Gray will take his game on to the next level in N17 and use the move as a platform to a blockbuster switch to the Bernabeu, much in the same way Bale and Modric did.

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“He’s an ideal Tottenham project. Tottenham have a history of buying young players and giving them an opportunity.

“We’ve seen Tottenham make some very canny moves in the transfer market over the years with younger players. They can obviously see the potential that’s there, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Gray followed the likes of Gareth Bale and Luka Modric by joining Real Madrid for a massive fee if he lives up to his potential.

“Tottenham can obviously see his potential. He was probably the pick of the Championship players in terms of his age and ability. I think he could easily step up to the level of the Premier League.

“Whether he gets straight into the Tottenham team is a different question. I’m sure they will have a precise development plan for him which could see him join another Premier League club on loan. He’d be a good signing for Tottenham Hotspur because he’s only going to get better.”

Arsenal have reportedly made the first move in the race for Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori, who’s been linked with Tottenham in recent days.

The 22-year-old defender featured in Italy’s three Euro 2024 group-stage matches but missed their 2-0 defeat to Switzerland in the Round of 16 due to suspension.

Calafiori’s performances in the tournament have caught the attention of clubs across Europe and a move away from Bologna looks to be on the cards.

As we reported on Wednesday, Arsenal and Tottenham are seriously interested in the talented centre-back, but Juventus are also keen.

Juventus’ manager Thiago Motta recently left Bologna and he is very keen on an instant reunion with Calafiori at the Allianz Stadium.

He struggled with injuries early in his career but has been fantastic since joining Bologna last summer, making 33 appearances in 2023/24 and scoring two goals.

The youngster was a key reason why Bologna qualified for the Champions League and he is thought to be ready to take the next big step in his career.

Arsenal ‘schedule meeting’

According to trusted transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are ‘set to schedule an initial meeting’ to gain an understanding of Calafiori’s situation.

Bologna are keen to keep hold of the Italian international but will reluctantly part ways with him for a fee in the region of £34-38m (€40-45m).

“For Calafiori, Arsenal made an enquiry to understand the situation of the player,” Calafiori told GIVEMESPORT.

“I mean, it’s also normal when you are looking for a left-footed player, a left-foot defender. Riccardo Calafiori is one of the best available now on the market.

“So Arsenal have been showing their interest in the situation. But at the moment, it’s not a negotiation. There is no bid, there is no contact with Bologna, so it’s just an enquiry to understand the situation of Calafiori.”

However, Calafiori isn’t the only centre-back on Arsenal’s radar. As previously reported by TEAMtalk, Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi is also admired by the Gunners.

They are also looking into a potential deal for exit-linked Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, per reports.

Arteta is happy with his current centre-back partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes but wants more competition for the duo in case one of them gets injured.

Calafiori has the potential to be a smart long-term addition for Arsenal but it remains to be seen whether they’re willing to match his price tag.

Barcelona have reportedly submitted a concrete offer for Hull City winger Jaden Philogene but Tottenham and Everton can’t be ruled out of the race yet.

The 22-year-old captured the attention of football fans worldwide when he scored a stunning rabona earlier this year which many think should win the 2024 Puskas award. Although, technically, it should have been marked down as an own goal.

Philogene’s memorable strike wasn’t a flash in the pan though. He was one of the Tigers’ star performers in 2023/24, netting 12 goals and making six assists in 32 Championship appearances.

He only joined Hull from Aston Villa last summer but a return to the Premier League is on the cards with Tottenham reportedly big admirers of the winger.

Meanwhile, sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Everton have made an enquiry to Hull about signing Philogene as their hunt for a new winger intensifies, as first called by ElBobble.

The Toffees have re-signed Jack Harrison on loan from Leeds United but with Lewis Dobbin joining Aston Villa, they need to sign at least one more winger this summer.

Newcastle’s Yankuba Minteh was their top target but Brighton look set to win the race for him, so Sean Dyche and Co have turned their attention to Philogene as an alternative.

Barcelona submit offer for Jaden Philogene

A summer move for Philogene has been described as ‘highly likely’ by multiple outlets and Barcelona have made the first big move in the race for his signature.

That is according to reputable transfer journalist Florian Plettenberg, who posted on X: “Been told the interest of FC Barcelona in Jaden #Philogene is very concrete now!

Barcelona have submitted an offical offer to Hull City! One year loan with an obligation to buy (which is tied to certain conditions such as playing time) in 2025 of around €20-23m!

“Contract of the 22 y/o talented winger is valid until 2026. Barcelona have analysed him in detail.”

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The financial issues at Barcelona are well documented, hence why they are unwilling to pay the fee for Philogene up front.

Hull would much prefer to receive the cash for Philogene instantly though, so Everton or Tottenham still have a chance to put forward their own offer for the winger.

Hull are said to value Philogene at roughly £16m, so it will be interesting to see if the Premier League duo are willing to match that.

For now, Spurs’ focus is on signing Leeds’ teenage superstar Archie Gray.

Archie Gray’s ‘change of heart’ over joining Brentford has opened the door for Tottenham to lead the race for the Leeds United star.

Gray caught the footballing world’s attention after starring for Leeds in their run to the Championship Play-off Final this season – which ultimately ended in calamity as they lost 1-0 to Southampton in the showpiece match at Wembley.

However, his displays at right-back for Daniel Farke’s men – despite honing his craft as a midfielder – attracted interest from a whole host of English top-flight teams.

And with the Whites failing to secure an immediate return to the Premier League, following their relegation to the Championship, that meant they had to sell one of their best players to comply with profit and sustainability rules.

While wingers Crysencio Summerville, who was Leeds’ top scorer this term and the Championship player of the year, and Wilfried Gnonto – who tried and failed to secure an exit earlier this season – were the most likely candidates to be sold, academy product Gray was also an option.

Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe, of the 49ers Enterprises, said last month there would be “trade-offs” this summer in the transfer window.

When asked about the future of the 18-year-old Gray, he told BBC Radio Leeds: “I can’t talk on specific players right now. But 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 profit and sustainability, as we always have been, and there are certain trade-offs that we have to make.

“We’ll have to think about if the chemistry of the squad is right – which players fit us, what we’re trying to be and what we want to look like – versus which players don’t fit.

“We have to sit down as a leadership team with Daniel [Farke] to figure out which ones and how we manage all that. So that will be taken into account as well as some of the profit and sustainability complications we have.

“I’m really excited with what we could do. I’m excited about the fact we have a full off-season – an extra five weeks to start planning our player squad strategy.”

TEAMtalk previously revealed that Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester United and more, were admirers of the teenager but things have moved very quickly since then.

On Saturday, it looked like Gray was going to move to Brentford for a fee in the region of £35m, with the England Under-21 international set for a medical.

The following day, however, Leeds rejected the Bees’ offer, sparking relief amongst the club’s somewhat exasperated fanbase.

Tottenham favourites to sign Gray

But that did not last long as The Athletic reports Tottenham are primed to secure his services. David Ornstein’s report states discussions between the two teams are ongoing and there is an ‘expectation’ a deal can be struck – though nothing has been finalised.

Gray reportedly underwent a medical at Brentford on Saturday after agreeing personal terms but the teenager has since had a ‘change of heart’ and is leaning towards Spurs.

The youngster will reportedly hold talks with Tottenham – who have been monitoring his situation for months – on Sunday and while personal terms are ‘not yet in place’, a move there is the most likely.

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For Leeds fans, they will hope if Gray does go, they may be able to get centre-back Joe Rodon in return, following a successful loan spell at Elland Road this term.

It remains to be seen if a deal can be struck and when this will be sorted, with fears growing that Leeds need to sell before the end of year accounts deadline on June 30; else a points deduction could follow.

Just as with Brentford’s failed move, this transfer may have a few more twists and turns yet.

The imminent departures of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Giovani Lo Celso have left Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou with some work to do to rebuild the midfield and they have identified their top target.

AS Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana is the man that Tottenham want to bring in but they will face competition for his signature with Juventus, Manchester United and others also intrigued by the France international.

Fofana is about to enter the final year of his contract and AS Monaco are resigned to not being able to get him to sign an extension on his current deal with opportunities to open up new horizons presenting themselves.

Reports coming out of Italy suggest that Tottenham are now the favourites to sign the 25-year-old this summer.

Fofana can play both in the middle of the pitch and as a defensive midfielder. Should Postecoglou sign this summer, his adaptability can give him additional options for setting up his engine room.

Postecoglou’s team allegedly “wants to get ahead of everyone” in the competition for his services. Tottenham ‘may pay €30m’, to lure the star to London according to reports.

With one year remaining on his contract, the midfield player’s future appears to be diverging from the Ligue 1 team this summer.

Several European teams, notably Tottenham and Serie A giants Juventus, have taken notice of Fofana’s performances during his 37 appearances in the previous season.

Midfield an area of great concern for Tottenham

Postecoglou will be looking to bolster his ranks ahead of next season and midfield is the area that might need the most work especially when it comes to the more defensive-minded players in the middle of the park.

Tottenham have progressed since the 2022–2023 season, and with Ange Postecoglou leading the team, their future appears promising.

To improve the general calibre and depth of the Tottenham team, however, there is still work to be done.

Fluminense star Andre Trindade is another similar player that Tottenham have reportedly been tracking for several months.

Trindade is rumoured to be close to agreeing a deal with Fulham but the Cottagers need to offload a player to make the deal happen and have so far seen those efforts frustrated.

“I would also add Fluminense’s Andre into the mix as well,” said transfer expert Ben Jacobs discussing Tottenham’s path forward.

“Fulham basically have a verbal agreement but if Joao Palhinha doesn’t leave, they won’t proceed.

“They nearly signed him in January, but Palhinha stayed.

“Now, flash forward to the summer, Fulham in the box seat still, but until Palhinha is done, the door’s open to other suitors as well.

“I know that Tottenham have been looking at that player, including at the Club World Cup, for several months.”

Tottenham have reportedly offered a player-plus-cash bid including Richarlison to Newcastle, in the hopes of getting Alexander Isak in return.

Richarlison has failed to inspire in his two seasons as Tottenham so far. He’s scored just 15 goals in all competitions over those two campaigns, after netting more than 50 times in four seasons with Everton.

It has been suggested that if Spurs want to take the next step, then neither the Brazilian nor Heung-min Son should lead the line.

And while the latter, who is the club captain, will remain, it’s unclear whether that is true of Richarlison.

He has stated he is happy at Tottenham, but reports suggest the club want to bring in a new striker, and they’re concerned they’ll not be able to do so with him still there.

It’s said they have a striker shortlist including Santiago Gimenez, Ivan Toney and Serhou Guirassy.

And Newcastle striker Isak seems to have made his way onto that list – he’s wanted by a number of the Premier League’s big boys.

That’s unsurprising after 31 English top-flight goals in 52 games.

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Tottenham offer Richarlison for Isak

And in their attempts to get him, Richarlison may have to be sacrificed.

Indeed, Gianluca Di Marzio has suggested that Newcastle have received offers for Isak, one of which came from Tottenham.

He states they offered Richarlison ‘plus a balancing payment’ in their attempts to snare the Swede.

The Magpies are already said to have rejected the offer from the north London outfit.

Newcastle want huge fee for Isak

It’s not surprising that Newcastle do not want a man who scored 11 Premier League goals last season to replace one who had 21 in their side.

However, the financial reasons for their rejection also make sense.

Richarlison will likely have lost value since his £60million move to Tottenham two years ago.

And to sell Isak, it’s said Newcastle want to receive £200million, so the balancing payment from Spurs would have to have been huge.

Whether anyone coughs up that figure remains to be seen. It’s obviously set so high because Newcastle don’t want to lose him, so for anyone to get Isak, they’ll have to be highly motivated to do so.

Tottenham are confident they’ll fend off several Premier League rivals to win the race for an England international who’ll become Spurs’ most expensive ever signing, according to reports.

England may be labouring at Euro 2024, though plenty of their brightest stars are in high demand this summer.

Marc Guehi is being monitored by Manchester United who are seeking one and more probably two new additions at centre-half.

Elsewhere, fellow Crystal Palace star, Eberechi Eze, has sparked a frantic transfer scramble.

The livewire attacker can be signed via a release clause understood to be worth £60m.

Eze bagged 15 goal contributions in 27 Premier League matches for Palace last term and counts Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd among his admirers.

But according to the Times, it’s Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham who front the queue and the north London club are prepared to ramp up their pursuit.

Big Tottenham push coming

Spurs have no qualms over the £60m fee it may take to spring Eze’s transfer. A signing at that amount would make the five-cap England international Tottenham’s most expensive ever buy.

Richarlison also cost £60m when bought from Everton two years ago, though his deal comprised £50m plus £10m in add-ons. Given Eze’s move would be £60m without add-ons, he’s take top spot on the list.

Tottenham were labelled ‘confident’ of winning the race for the Eagles talisman and will accelerate their attempts once England’s campaign at Euro 2024 concludes.

England face Slovakia in the Round of 16 stage on Sunday and despite their woeful form, will be heavy favourites to advance.

The winners of Italy vs Switzerland would await in the quarter-finals and if Gareth Southgate’s side don’t quickly improve, their dreams could be crushed at the hands of the Italians on July 6.

Daniel Levy influence working wonders for Eze transfer

TEAMtalk has learned that one of the reasons Spurs are so confident they’ll be the ones to snap Eze up is due to chairman Daniel Levy.

The Spurs supremo holds excellent relations with the CAA Stellar agency who represent Eze.

Furthermore, sources state talks between Spurs and Eze’s camp have already commenced and further rounds of discussions have taken place over the past few weeks.

Eze operated primarily in an attacking midfield role last year which would put him in direct competition with James Maddison.

Postecoglou will no doubt already know how he intends to embed both players in his starting line-up, with the left wing a position Eze featured in at times last season.

Aside from Eze, the Times added Tottenham also intend to sign a ‘versatile defender and a forward.’

Tottenham are showing ‘concrete’ interest in a winger Barcelona have already opened talks to sign, and the player’s wondergoal last season suggests he’ll delight the fans of whichever club he joins.

Barcelona’s primary transfer target on the flanks this summer was Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao. However, the total cost of pulling off a move has made a switch to the Camp Nou virtually impossible.

Williams’ release clause is understood to be worth €58m. Factoring in agents fees and Williams’ high salary demands, Barcelona simply cannot finance the move.

Instead, reports in Spain initially floated the idea of Barcelona rescuing Jadon Sancho from Manchester United.

However, subsequent news emerged of Hansi Flick’s side zeroing in on Hull City winger, Jaden Philogene. In fact, talks over an initial season-long loan spell at Barca have already taken place.

Philogene, 22, is a man in demand following a breakthrough campaign with Hull. The right-footed winger scored 12 goals and provided six assists and one strike in particular will live long in the memory…

Hull narrowly missed out on securing a play-off berth when finishing seventh last year.

Philogene has already proven he’s too good to spend another season in the Championship and according to Football Insider, a summer transfer is highly likely.

But rather than move to Barcelona, FI suggest a switch to a top half team in the Premier League could be on the agenda.

Tottenham are reportedly showing ‘concrete’ interest in Philogene, while West Ham cannot be discounted from the race either.

It’s claimed the Hammers have actually entered preliminary talks over a move, though Spurs would appear to hold an advantage.

Philogene is determined to play at the highest level after taking a one step back to take two steps forward with his previous move.

Philogene left Premier League side Aston Villa when joining Hull in a £5m deal last year. The gamble to drop down a division has clearly paid off, with Philogene now in high demand and a vastly improved player after featuring regularly.

Barcelona will participate in the Champions League next year, while Tottenham can offer Europa League football.

Unfortunately for West Ham, new boss Julen Lopetegui has no European football to help lure Philogene to the club.

If Tottenham are willing to stump up hard cash and trump Barcelona’s tentative loan plans, Philogene’s future may well lay in north London.

Aston Villa blundered letting Philogene go – Alan Hutton

Former Villa and Tottenham full-back, Alan Hutton, is among growing crowd who rate Philogene extremely highly.

When speaking to FI in March, Hutton urged Tottenham to make a summer move and claimed Villa blundered when allowing the winger to leave on the cheap.

“I think you need to look at young and experienced players,” Hutton said of Tottenham’s transfer plans. “There has to be a balance.

“He (Philogene) ticks a lot of boxes and I don’t think Villa should have let him go, to be honest.

“His performances have been outstanding, absolutely amazing, so they can look to the future.

“To bring in a young and hungry player who works hard and has the technical ability to fit into their way of thinking is good moving forward.

“But you need to add that quality right now. It’s about getting that mixture right.”

The battle lines have been drawn ahead of Romania’s Euro 2024 last-16 clash against the Netherlands, as a Dutch observer has surprisingly torn into Radu Dragusin and labelled one of his Tottenham Hotspur team-mates as being a step above.

Dragusin became the most expensive Romanian player of all time when he joined Tottenham for £25million during the January transfer window, which followed the defender’s impressive spell at Italian club Genoa. So far, Dragusin has managed nine appearances for Tottenham, and he will be hoping to play more regularly under Ange Postecoglou during the 2024-25 season.

The centre-half, who can also play as a right-back if required, is the biggest name in the Romania squad and has started in all three of their Euro 2024 group matches.

Dragusin helped Romania pull off a surprise 3-0 win over Ukraine and draw 1-1 with Slovakia as they – incredibly – finished top of Group E ahead of Belgium.

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Edward Iordanescu’s side have been unlucky though, as they will come up against the Netherlands in the round of 16 despite winning their group. Virgil van Dijk and co. finished behind Austria and France in Group D and qualified for the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams.

The game, which will take place on Tuesday afternoon, will be of interest to Tottenham supporters as Dragusin will start for Romania, while Micky van de Ven could feature for the Netherlands.

Ahead of the match, Dutch pundit Valentijn Driessen has shockingly ripped into Dragusin and reaffirmed that Van De Ven is the better player.

After questioning Dragusin’s ‘strange’ haircut, Driessen said: “He didn’t achieve anything at all last season. He plays for Tottenham Hotspur, where he is under contract.

Tottenham news: Radu Dragusin blasted in bizarre twist

“His agent thinks he’s great. He is always stalking Daniel Levy about his player, that he should get a salary increase and should play.

“[He doesn’t play] because he is simply not good enough and Van De Ven plays there.”

Driessen then joked: “We might be better off playing with Van De Ven than with Van Dijk, because he will keep Dragusin out of the match!”

Should Dragusin find out about Driessen’s savage comments, then it will give the 22-year-old extra motivation to stun the Netherlands and help Romania reach the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.

It will be tough for Romania to advance, as they do not have many top players whereas Dutch manager Ronald Koeman can rely on the likes of Van Dijk, Van De Ven, Memphis Depay, Xavi Simons and Nathan Ake.

But Romania have already caused an upset in the group stage and will fancy their chances. Plus, this is not the strongest or most confident Dutch side, as they were torn apart by Austria at times on Tuesday.