Charlton Athletic rival Derby County for 'quick and aggressive' Leeds United loan in January

Charlton Athletic are competing with three Championship rivals ahead of a potential January loan move for highly rated Leeds United youngster Harry Gray.

Nathan Jones was backed by the club in the summer window and the transfer business has paid dividends with a confident start to life back in the second tier. The Addicks sit ninth in the table and are just two points off the play-off zone.

With 11 players coming through the doors at The Valley in the summer, it may not be the busiest of January windows but Jones will be nonetheless be hoping for a couple of new faces to help push his side over the back end of the season.

Leeds United star eyed by four Championship clubs

One of those could be 17-year-old Leeds United man Gray. The teenager has been playing above his age group with the under-21 side and looks a cut above that level already.

The striker bagged a brace in a 3-2 defeat to League Two side Accrington Stanley in the Vertu Trophy last week, having also netted a hat-trick against Scunthorpe United in September. Gray has also scored five goals in six Premier League 2 outings this season.

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke is clearly impressed by the player’s progress, naming him in the matchday squad to face Wolves in the Premier League at the end of September. Gray has played for the Whites first team, handed four minutes from the bench against Stoke City in the Championship in April.

Speaking about Gray’s development earlier this year, former Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford told the Ben Foster Podcast: “Harry and Archie look very, very similar; personalities couldn’t be any different. When Archie came up, quiet but just got about it. Harry is chirpy. He is proper chirpy, but in a good way.

“He’s got no problem with having one of the first-team players off. At 16! I swear. He, I think, in his head, knows he’s good. I remember when Archie was still at Leeds, I went to watch for the 18s or 21s and Harry was playing.

Charlton Athletic linked with ‘aggressive’ Harry Gray

“I literally and he knows now because I’ve told him, but I literally went to watch just to see him. He’s good and he’s going to be decent. I thought, when he comes up, I’ll try to help him a little bit. It’s weird to say but he like looks up to me a little bit, so I can kind of get away with it with him a bit.

“He could be top. He’s tall, quite slim, quick, very aggressive. For how tall he is, his dribbling is a joke. He can put defenders on their backside.”

Now, transfer specialist Alan Nixon has claimed that a host of Championship clubs, including Charlton Athletic are looking at a potential loan move for the player. The London outfit faces competition from Derby County, Swansea City and Hull City.

The Tigers could have a headstart in any potential race for the loan deal, having done business with Leeds United recently over a move for Joe Gelhardt. It’s added that Leeds United are under no pressure to sanction a loan and remain in control over the situation.

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