Leeds United accepting Lazio's mooted Wilfried Gnonto offer would be a risk: View | OneFootball

Highlights

footballleagueworld video of the day

One player whose future it looks as though Leeds United will have to address in the January transfer window, is Wilfried Gnonto.

The young winger was one of the bright points of an otherwise disappointing campaign as Leeds were relegated from the Premier League last season, where he did at least show some potential to make an impact going forward on occasion.

However, after the Elland Road club dropped into the Championship for this season, Gnonto found himself unavailable for selection for a spell in the early stages of the campaign, after expressing a desire to secure a move elsewhere.

Although the 20-year-old is now back in contention for selection by manager Daniel Farke, it seems questions will still be asked about a potential transfer, with the market set to reopen at the turn of the year.

According to recent reports, Leeds could be willing to sell the Italy international for the right price in January, and it seems one club who could be set to test their resolve over Gnonto, is Lazio.

What deal could Lazio offer Leeds for Gnonto?

According to the latest updates from Italian outlet Calcio Style, Lazio are weighing up a potential move to sign Gnonto in the January window.

It is thought that deal would initially be a loan move, with the option-to-buy the winger on a permanent basis, at the end of the season.

Under the terms of the deal that could be proposed to Leeds by the Serie A side, the Italian club would supposedly pay Gnonto's current side €15million, if they were to take up the option to make that loan move a permanent one in the summer transfer market.

Why this offer from Lazio for Gnonto would be risky for Leeds to accept

Although Gnonto may not be as regular a feature for Leeds this season as some might have expected - he has started just six of 16 league games so far - he does still have the potential to be an important player for the club.

Indeed, the trouble he managed to cause Premier League defenders at times last season, suggests he could be a big threat for Leeds in attack in the Championship if he manages to produce that form during the current campaign.

That of course, means that if they were to agree to this deal in January, they would likely have to replace him in Daniel Farke's first-team squad as well.

However, the fact this offer of Lazio's would initially be a loan deal, means they would not bring in the same amount of funds for Gnonto, as they would do with an outright sale at that point.

Consequently, that would potentially reduce the budget that the Elland Road side have to work with, as they attempt to strengthen their squad in the wake of a potential departure for the winger.

Beyond that, the fact this deal only includes the option-to-buy, means there is no guarantee that they would even receive any funds for Gnonto in the summer.

As a result, should the 20-year-old struggle to make an impact in his first few months after making a move to Lazio, not only would the Serie A side be unlikely to make that deal permanent, but other clubs may also become more reluctant to spend big on him.

That in turn, could also see Leeds facing the prospect of missing out on some useful funds from the possible sale of Gnonto that could have also helped them to improve their squad in the long term.

With all that in mind, the fact that the likes of Everton and Roma have also been linked with Gnonto recently, means you get the feeling Leeds should be biding their time to see just what other offers might come in for the winger, before rushing into a deal with Lazio, on these sort of terms.