Leeds won't get 'full value' by selling Gnonto in January

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·23. Dezember 2023

Leeds won't get 'full value' by selling Gnonto in January

Highlights

Leeds United may sell Wilfried Gnonto in the 2024 winter transfer window, despite being the midst of a Championship promotion race.
The Italy international has previously tried to leave Elland Road but has repaired his relationship with Daniel Farke. However, he is still expected to move to one of Europe's top leagues in the future.
Leeds may need to sell players like Diego Llorente to raise funds for further signings.

Leeds United’s potential sale of Wilfried Gnonto during the 2024 winter window wouldn’t be good news, as transfer insider Dean Jones provides GIVEMESPORT with his verdict on the winger’s possible departure from Elland Road.

Head coach Daniel Farke has been tasked with earning the Whites’ place in the Premier League following their demotion to the Championship at the end of the 2022/23 season.

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Gnonto has already been the subject of a transfer saga during the 2023/24 campaign, having tried to push for a return to the top tier during the summer market. However, the wide man remains at Elland Road and hopes to contribute to the club’s potential promotion back to the promised land.

Gnonto’s previous transfer saga

In August 2023, Gnonto submitted a written transfer request to Leeds, having been the subject of interest from Premier League Everton. By that point, the Toffees had seen several offers for the 20-year-old rejected, with the most recent one being worth £25m plus bonuses and a sell-on clause for the Yorkshire outfit.

Leeds insisted that Gnonto was not for sale despite refusing to be made available for selection for Championship clashes with Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion. The Italy international had impressed for Leeds during the 2022/23 season despite the Elland Road outfit being relegated from the Premier League. After Gnonto’s transfer request resulted in him training alone, the winger apologised and revoked his request, becoming available again for selection in a 4-3 triumph at Ipswich Town on 26th August.

However, October reports indicated that Everton were still considering a move for Gnonto ahead of the 2024 winter transfer window. The Toffees had been joined by Serie A giants Roma and Lazio, who were interested in bringing the young star back to Italy. Sources claim that, despite Gnonto repairing his relationship with Leeds, he is expected to return to one of Europe’s top leagues in the near future.

According to Football Insider, Leeds could allow Gnonto to depart during the winter transfer window. Jones has also told GIVEMESPORT (20th December) that talk of his departure represents quite the turnaround, after murmurs he was set to sign a new contract emerging just weeks prior.

The wide man has found breaking into Farke's plans at Elland Road challenging and could seek a departure to ensure his stock remains high and that he is getting regular minutes under his belt. Leeds could use any potential sale to boost their transfer kitty ahead of January as they close in on Leicester City and Ipswich Town at the top of the Championship.

Dean Jones on Wilfried Gnonto

Jones isn’t convinced that selling Gnonto in January is the right course of action for Leeds, suggesting that not many clubs in the Championship possess a player of his quality. The transfer insider isn’t sure the Whites could secure full value for the wide man in January. Jones told GIVEMESPORT:

“Leeds are in a bit of a difficult situation at the moment in the league. I don't think they've fallen away totally. You could look at their league position and say they’re behind two teams having a brilliant season. But it does feel like they're wavering, and you need things to pick up quickly. I don't think it'd be great to be losing Gnonto in a moment like this. Very few teams in the Championship have a player as good as this. I also don't think you'll get full value for him in a January window. So, I don't think it'd be a great time to cash in on him.”

Leeds transfer news, including update on Diego Llorente’s future

Farke will look ahead to the 2024 winter transfer market as an opportunity to bolster his squad’s chances of closing down a spot in the Championship’s automatic promotion spots. However, the German head coach may have to sanction some sales to bring in the required cash to make signings.

According to Roma Metropolitan, AS Roma could sign Leeds loanee Diego Llorente for around £4.3m next summer. The centre-back joined Jose Mourinho’s side during the 2023 summer transfer window and could turn his temporary stay into a permanent one, with the deal suggested to have an obligation to buy. News from Italy would suggest that Llorente’s time at Elland Road is up, regardless of whether Farke’s side secure promotion to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Leeds target Ao Tanaka looks set to deal the Yorkshire outfit a blow by signing for VfB Stuttgart in January. The Fortuna Dusseldorf star looks set to remain in Germany, with Florian Plettenberg claiming he could join the Bundesliga outfit for around €3.5m (£3m).

Leeds travel to Preston North End on Boxing Day before concluding 2023 with a visit to The Hawthorns to take on play-off chasing West Bromwich Albion.