Leeds United are prepared to let Wilfried Gnonto leave in the January transfer window, but the Peacocks will only sell for an appropriate offer, according to Peter O’Rourke at Football Insider.
As the winter transfer window approaches, speculation about Gnonto’s future at Leeds United has resurfaced after the 20-year-old tried to force a transfer away from Elland Road in the summer.
The Italian player was excluded from the Leeds squad for most of August after he refused to play in protest against the club’s failure to sell him during the most recent transfer window.
In addition, Gnonto’s decision to try and force a move through has impacted his relationship with boss Daniel Farke and the Whites’ fanbase.
The Italy international has struggled for game time and form since the transfer saga. Since the end of the previous transfer window, Gnonto has been available for seven Championship matches and made just three starts.
Farke has instead put faith in the attacking quartet of Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, Dan James and Joel Piroe, who have helped Leeds to rise to third place in the Championship.
New developments in the Gnonto transfer situation suggest that Leeds will want to make a profit from the highly-rated attacker, whose contract at Elland Road expires in June 2027.
Leeds signed Gnonto for around £3.8 million in September 2022 and his estimated value has risen to £15.5 million, according to Tansfermarkt.
Also, the former Zurich man is reportedly unsettled at the club due to the summer transfer debacle and following his lack of game time, as Football Insider has also reported.
Gnonto impressed in the Premier League before Leeds were relegated last season. The Italian scored three goals in his final ten games of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign before the Yorkshire club eventually finished 19th.
Following Leeds’ relegation from the top flight, Man City and Arsenal have shown interest in Gnonto, according to reports from Calciomercato.
Writer’s View
Currently, Leeds are in a position to dictate the outcome of Gnonto’s increasingly likely transfer away from Elland Road. The club are well aware of the player’s potential and future value and they are not in a desperate situation to sell, which could lead to stronger negotiating power.
Moreover, the increasing rumours about top clubs monitoring Gnonto’s situation add further capacity for Leeds to hold out for a transfer fee of at least market value.
