Wilfried Gnonto wishes Elland Road farewell in emotional social media post as Leeds United exit nears

Wilfried Gnonto has thanked Elland Road and appears to have played his last home game for Leeds United ahead of a summer exit.

The winger has been a regular bench option for Daniel Farke this season, but has struggled to get minutes in the Premier League.

Gnonto was tipped with a possible exit back in January, but the Whites decided to keep him, as he appears to be one player the 49ers intend on selling this summer to free up funds.

Leeds are aware that they'll have to sell, with the likes of Joel Piroe and the Italian two of the club's most valuable assets that they can cash in on.

Gnonto has been linked with Bundesliga side Freiburg in recent days, as his latest social media post suggests that an LS11 exit is closer than ever.

Leeds teammates react to emotional Wilfried Gnonto post

Leeds are open to selling Gnonto, but it is also reported that the Whites would be willing to let him join Freiburg on loan with an obligation for the German club to buy.

It's not currently known what specific price the 49ers would be looking for to sell the 22-year-old, but there's a good chance that whatever fee he goes for, a sell-on clause could be inserted.

Taking to Instagram on Monday, Gnonto uploaded a slideshow of photos of him in an empty Elland Road after the 1-0 win over Brighton, captioned, "Elland Road. Thank you".

The final photo on this image carousel included a picture of him standing with former team-mate Georginio Rutter, as well as Illan Meslier, Pascal Struijk, and Piroe.

Both Piroe and Struijk commented underneath the post with sad emojis while the former said, "Let's have some Moretti," an iconic Italian beer, perhaps in celebration of his time in LS11?

Luke Ayling and team-mate Jayden Bogle also commented, sharing the love, in what truly seems to be an Elland Road goodbye from Gnonto.

Leeds are making a mistake by selling Gnonto

Gnonto's Instagram post has reached other forms of social media among the Leeds fanbase, with some supporters discussing how it also looks like a goodbye.

The general consensus is that Leeds would be cashing in on Gnonto too early, and perhaps a loan move could've been the better option.

Nothing is confirmed yet, and Gnonto may not even join Freiburg, but his post has really suggested that a permanent exit is likely.

Leeds would be making a mistake by offloading a player with true potential, and it could be a decision that comes back to haunt them in the future.