"£30m at least" - Leeds United: Willy Gnonto transfer claim made amid potential January interest | OneFootball

FLW's Leeds United fan pundit has named Willy Gnonto as the club's highest value player heading towards January.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Leeds United's second season back in the Championship after three years of Premier League football is almost at the halfway stage already.

Due to the fact a number of players are still at the club from their seasons in the top tier, they have real quality and that also is significant in a financial sense as well. Many of Leeds' players are among the highest value in the division and are some of the highest-paid players as well.

Daniel Farke will be hoping his promotion-chasing side can bounce back to the top-flight at the second time of asking due to the quality within their ranks, even though failure to gain promotion via the play-off final last season meant big-money departures naturally came about in the summer.

It was the second squad exodus in as many summers at Leeds, with the likes of Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville, and Georginio Rutter all heading to the Premier League for significant sums.

Leeds were one of the biggest spending sides in the Championship, with many of the players bought for significant fees, namely Joe Rodon, Largie Ramazani, Jayden Bogle, and Ao Tanaka. But who is the club's most valuable player?

Leeds United's most valuable player identified

We asked FLW’s Leeds United fan pundit Kris Smith for his thoughts on who the most expensive player in the squad is, with Willy Gnonto one of a number of strong candidates in that sense with Leeds.

Kris told Football League World: "I do think this Leeds team, at the moment, has multiple players that could walk into some Premier League starting 11's right now.

"With that, there is obviously some valuable players in the squad. In terms of the most valuable, I would still like to think it's Willy Gnonto that holds the highest price-tag at the club.

"Given how important to the team he is, but also his age. Plus, the experience he's got for his age at just 21.

"We turned down £25 million for him over a year ago now, when Everton came calling for him in 2023.

"While he has stayed in the Championship since, and value tends to decrease the longer you stay in the second tier, he has since signed a new deal.

"He also looks like much more of a leader-like presence in our attack. He's added more creativity to his game with assists, and he is linking up play in a variety of positions.

"That only serves as more proof to me of how valuable he is, and the potential he also possesses to be a top player. He's not just a one-trick pony, as he can do all sorts in our attack.

"Looking at his value, I would be looking at around £30 million at least if any club were looking at signing him in 2025 - t hat's even if we are not promoted."

Leeds reportedly rejected a £23 million offer from Everton in the summer, according to a report from Graham Smyth of The Yorkshire Evening Post, which followed up on a bid the previous summer.

Gnonto, instead, signed a new contract at Leeds that will keep him at the club for the next four years, and crucially, that deal does not include a release clause.

After Leeds were stung by various loan clauses and exit/release clauses in the last few years, they won’t suffer the same way with Gnonto, as Fabrizio Romano revealed that his freshly-signed 2024 contract doesn’t contain a release clause.

The Italian didn’t quite hit the same heights last year as Rutter or Summerville, but he still contributed eight goals and two assists from 36 regular league appearances, and is a player with as much potential as the former pair. Gnonto, on paper at least, may well be the Whites' best player, let alone their best winger.

Gnonto has already proven to be a key cog in Leeds' new-look attacking unit this term, as they look to rebuild this season in attack. His X-factor and match-winning capabilities are why he is one of the club's biggest assets. His value should therefore be reflective of that fact, with Gnonto showing signs of stepping up to be the club's main man this term.