Fabrizio Romano has said that Liverpool ‘appreciate’ Archie Gray and have already dispatched scouts to watch the Leeds United youngster.
The Daily Mail reported on Friday that the Reds are preparing a bid for the 17-year-old next year, with Crystal Palace and Everton also interested in the teenager, who’s valued in the region of £40m-£50m by his current club.
In his latest Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside, the Italian journalist shared his latest information on LFC’s pursuit of the Whites prodigy.
Romano wrote: “An impressive young player at Leeds United, Liverpool have sent their scouts to follow Archie Gray multiple times. They are not the only club as many teams appreciate him and keep tracking Archie, but for sure Liverpool are one of them.
“There’s no bid or concrete negotiation at this stage, but they appreciate the player.”
A defensive midfielder who’s also capable of playing at right-back (Transfermarkt), Gray has unsurprisingly drawn comparisons with a certain Trent Alexander-Arnold (Daily Mail).
The 17-year-old only made his senior Leeds debut in their opening game of the Championship season against Cardiff but has already established himself in Daniel Farke’s side, starting 14 matches this term and coming on in two more (Transfermarkt).
In August, Sky Sports pundit Jermaine Beckford praised the teenager’s ‘maturity’, physical strength and composure under pressure, while Jobi McAnuff spoke of his ability to pull off ‘lovely little tricks’ (Leeds Live).
Liverpool’s scouting team should get plenty more opportunities to take a closer look at Gray given how he’s broken into the Whites’ starting XI, although the danger is that other prospective suitors could also flood the market.
The Reds have previous when it comes to signing standout prodigies in their minor years, with Harvey Elliott and Ben Doak two examples to have broken into the first team under Jurgen Klopp.
The Leeds starlet certainly seems to have the ability and mentality to follow suit if LFC can lure him to Anfield. It’ll be intriguing to see if Merseyside chiefs follow up their reported interest in him with something more concrete.
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