West Ham United ready approach to sign Leeds United ace Willy Gnonto as fresh Elland Road exit speculation emerges

West Ham are primed to make an approach for Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto, according to SportsLens.

The news outlet reported online (9 January) that the Hammers could make an approach for the Italy international in the "coming days."

David Moyes' side are keen to see if the Whites' stance on the future of their 20-year-old asset has changed after considering the winger last summer at a time when the West Yorkshire club were refusing to sell.

West Ham are the 15th richest football club in the world, with a value of £850million (Forbes, 31 May 2023), and could use this wealth to make a tempting offer for Gnonto.

Time to sell

If West Ham do come in with a big-money offer for Gnonto, now would be a fantastic time for Leeds United to cash in. Unlike last summer when selling him was the last thing the club wanted to do, it is hard to imagine that they will be as difficult to convince this time around.

Gnonto has failed to build on his impressive form from his previous campaign in the Premier League and has struggled to make Daniel Farke's starting lineups, starting just seven of the club's 20 league fixtures so far.

He has scored just once and provided just one assist in the Championship this season, and if he continues to underwhelm, Leeds could see the player's value decrease.

The winger has not been as crucial at Elland Road as he was last season, and if the club can generate some cash for the player with time to reinvest it in the January transfer window, it might be a worthwhile deal to consider.

In other Leeds United news, a fellow Championship side have made an approach to seal one of the club's attacking players on loan.