Leeds United are set to lose star academy talent Finlay Gorman to Manchester City imminently as an agreement is in place for the 15-year-old to join the Etihad giants.
The Whites have boasted a strong academy for some years now, bringing through local talent consistently into the senior setup, with Archie Gray the latest to shine at Elland Road.
However, with Leeds in the Championship at present, their standing compared to other setups across the country isn’t as strong as it could be
The Athletic revealed today that Manchester City had reached an agreement to sign 15-year-old Leeds sensation Finlay Gorman for a seven-figure fee.
It comes after strong interest this season from the Etihad club, having seen Gorman take to the Under-18 Premier League with ease at Thorp Arch, becoming the youngest ever player to score a brace on his debut in that league
It’s a sad development for Leeds that we’re powerless to stop the best club in the world from buying one of our best academy graduates, even when he’s not even a professional yet.
He’s been tapped up to head to the best setup in the world, and while you can’t blame Gorman for it, it’s a worrying development for us and every other club outside the big six going forward
Leeds have poached other youngsters previously, and it’s part of the ‘food chain’, but to have him bought at this age for such money is a big development.
There are others in the Leeds setup who are definitely earmarked for promising futures too, not least Archie’s younger brother, Harry Gray – who has been playing with Gorman at youth level.
What is concerning is there’s nothing that the club have been able to do about it, other than try to convince him otherwise.
We’ve shown the pathway for players like Gray, but it’s not enough when a juggernaut like Man City are there
Leeds United’s Archie Gray is reportedly subject to transfer interest from Liverpool, as it has been claimed that the Reds are aiming for a summer transfer that could cost up to £50million.
The Whites have a squad brimming with talent worthy already of playing in the Premier League, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a number of them in the top flight next term.
That is regardless of whether Leeds are promoted or not under Daniel Farke this term, including Archie Gray – who is now the subject of plenty of transfer speculation
In the report, it is claimed that Leeds would be looking for a fee between £40-50million, which would be one of the highest fees ever received for an 18-year-old that isn’t named Kylian Mbappe.
Everton and Crystal Palace are also named with interest in the 17-year-old star, who could be leaving Leeds even if they are promoted
Something to relieve the stress of this situation is that the 49ers will already have a new contract in view for the midfielder.
He cannot pen a new contract for longer than three years right now, being under 18, but his birthday on March 12 next year means that Leeds can start planning to have that in place for when that date arrives.
Given his family ties to the club, it should be a formality that Leeds agree a new deal in place more befitting of how important Gray is to the side, treated like an important player to the squad, just as Glen Kamara and co are.
While a new contract doesn’t stop Leeds from selling the play indefinitely, it does mean that we can start to look for absurd fees with Gray, pointing to Liverpool having £111million set aside to sign Moises Caicedo in the summer
