The Sea Gripen is as much of a wet dream as a 'Sea Typhoon' and many underestimate the re-design and cost required on the current platform to make it a carrier platform. Furthermore, neither would be ready to replace F-35B or C on the QEC ships.
The only real options that are out there are SH and Rafale if you want to minimise the sticker shock of losing F-35 at this stage.
Folding wing updated Typhoons would be nice but would involve the MoD and BAe. Which makes Rafael or Superhornet a better option. But would we buy a major off the shelf French weapon system?
Yes, this Government
would entertain buying a French OTS weapon system! They declared as much in SDSR 10.