Leicester City have reportedly rebuffed Tottenham’s move for Demarai Gray.
According to The Mirror, Leicester City have snubbed moves from Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur for winger Demarai Gray – and have now offered him a new contract.
Gray, 21, emerged as one of the country’s top young talents during his time with hometown club Birmingham City, and after hitting eight goals in 78 games for them, he moved on to Leicester in January 2016.
Despite his reputation as a talented, pacy winger with real trickery, Gray has started just ten Premier League games for the Foxes, and he has appeared frustrated with his lack of first-team action.
With both Marc Albrighton and Riyad Mahrez ahead of him in the pecking order, Gray has been linked with a move away all summer, with Leicester seemingly fending off interest from two clubs ahead of Thursday’s transfer deadline.
The Mirror report that Leicester have blocked bids from both Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur, and they are so determined to keep the winger that they have offered him a bumper new contract to stay at the King Power Stadium.
Gray will allegedly be offered a huge hike on his current £25,000-a-week wages, after Leicester rejected a package worth £30million from Bournemouth as well as a late bid from Tottenham.
Bournemouth haven’t managed to find the right impact players out wide in recent years, with manager Eddie Howe keen to give Gray first-team football on the South Coast in a bid to change that, whilst Gray would have brought the pace and trickery that Spurs often lack in the final third.
Leicester will hope that Gray now ignores the interest and pens a new deal, though his issues ultimately lie with a lack of first-team football rather than his wages, meaning the Foxes may need to make some key promises as well as offering him more money to stay.
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