Willy Gnonto's future at Leeds United latest: What is going on? | OneFootball

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Leeds United's Willy Gnonto has had a lot of speculation around him lately, but what is the latest?

Back in the Sky Bet Championship after a couple of seasons away playing Premier League football, Leeds will be relatively content with the start they have made to the year, though they will want to see improvements in consistency soon as they look to climb the league standings.

One man that has been involved in and out of the side this year so far, too, is Gnonto, with the youngster featuring five times in the league so far but largely as a sub.

Indeed, the re-integration period for him has been a fascinating one to watch, after it became quite clear that he wanted to leave Elland Road in the summer transfer window earlier this year.

Linked with a move to the likes of Premier League Everton, Gnonto was pushing for an exit from Yorkshire but nothing came to pass and, with a contract running until 2027 at the club, it's clear that Leeds still hold the upper hand when it comes to potential negotiations over an exit.

Indeed, they do not need to let him go on the cheap, and Football Insider report that the Whites would be open to trying to extending his deal further past '27, though it remains to be seen if any agreement can be made there.

That is obviously in a further bid to try and ward off interest in him, but what could also be quite influential in him not moving any time soon is the fact he has now picked up an injury that could see him on the sidelines for a couple of months.

Willy Gnonto sidelined through injury

Indeed, as per Football Insider, ankle surgery means that he could be out until December in the worst-case scenario, which would obviously be a blow to the youngster.

FI report that though the hope is Gnonto can be back soon after the international break later this month, the recovery period could extend into November or even December, which would see the forward miss a large portion of games.

That might not be enough to stop potential suitors looking at him long-term, but it could well be the case that having that time away from the pitch and out of action could prevent anyone coming in during the January window, meaning Leeds would get Gnonto until the end of this season at least.

By then, they will obviously be hoping that they have restored their Premier League status, and that could be a good bargaining chip in trying to keep him around at Elland Road, though time will obviously tell there.

Clearly, he is a young player with lots of talent and there are clubs interested in him, but right now you can see the speculation dying down for a little bit, and instead he needs to focus on trying to get himself back fit as quickly as possible and establishing himself back in the side on a consistent basis for Leeds.