Aston Villa target now 'on stand-by' for rival club medical after £35m deal collapsed

Aston Villa may have been given a lifeline in their pursuit of Leeds United’s Archie Gray this summer but the dramatic saga is ongoing following recent contrasting updates. The Villans have been linked with the Leeds United midfielder along with other Premier League outfits and they could be back in the picture following a failed move to rivals Brentford.

Gray looked set to sign for the Bees and was scheduled to undergo a medical this weekend but the Whites have since turned down their structure of payments for his initial £35 million transfer. The collapse has now flung the door wide open for other clubs to make contact but after his breakthrough season at Elland Road, the competition is fierce.

Villa are admirers of Gray, with BBC Sport’s Adam Pope reporting that their interest in the 18-year-old has been ‘constant’. Writing on Twitter, he said: “Brentford, Spurs and Villa the latest to all be vying for the sort of generational talent that doesn’t come along too often.”

Indeed, Gray has turned a lot of heads recently, having missed just two games for Leeds throughout the entire 2023/24 Championship season. The Whites had been gunning for a place back in the Premier League following their relegation but fell agonisingly short at the final hurdle, when Southampton beat them 1-0 to win the play-offs and take the final promotion spot.

With their fate secured for another season in the Championship, Leeds are now listening to offers for some of their most important players, knowing they will struggle to keep them beyond the summer. While Gray’s collapsed Brentford move is certainly good news for Villa’s own interest, they will need to act fast and draw up a convincing deal as things seem to be progressing elsewhere.

Tottenham Hotspur have wasted no time in jumping in to discuss a move for Gray. Spurs are now ‘in talks’ with Leeds over a potential deal but nothing has been agreed yet, with Sky Sports reporting the two clubs are ‘in the early discussions stage’. However, a contrasting update from Football Insider claims that Gray is now ‘on stand-by’ with Spurs to undergo a medical in North London.

This reported turnaround is a rapid one and has left little time for other clubs like Villa to make their move, if Gray is indeed already edging closer to a new deal with another club. Like Unai Emery’s side, Spurs have a ‘long-standing’ interest in the midfielder, who boasted his versatility throughout the 2023/24 season.

Gray is a central midfielder by trade but spent the majority of the season operating at right-back, and played in both attacking and defensive midfield positions as well.