Leeds United to demand an ‘awful lot of money’ as Serie A clubs circle for Willy Gnonto
Carlton Palmer believes that Serie A clubs would have to spend an “awful lot” of money to sign Leeds United ace Willy Gnonto in January.
Parma and Genoa have been linked with a January move for the Italy international (Caught Offside) despite the attacker just signing a new contract with the Whites.
Gnonto’s new contract runs until 2028 so Leeds will certainly have a strong standing point in terms of negotiations should any occur.
Speaking to Football League World (10 September) Palmer shared his view on the reports.
“He’s signed a new contract, so he’s at the club until 2028, so Serie A duo Parma and Genoa are keeping a close eye on the Gnonto situation,” Palmer said.
“It’s reported that they will try and get Gnonto out of Leeds United come January, but Leeds are in a very, very strong position now.
“It’s believed they turned down in excess of £20million that was offered by Everton, in the summer, for the 20-year-old.
“So, the Serie A duo will have to come up with an awful lot of money for Daniel Farke to part company with Willy Gnonto.
“He’s played all of Leeds’ first games so far, and he’s started the season off really, really brightly.”
Leeds United need to keep Willy Gnonto this season
Although Gnonto’s future is more or less locked down thanks to his new contract, there’s still potential for teams to come and try their luck.
The Whites lost both Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville to Premier League clubs throughout the summer transfer window with Gnonto staying put despite intense speculation he would leave.
Leeds did manage to bring in both Largie Ramazani and Manor Solomon as replacements for the departed duo but keeping Gnonto should still be high on Daniel Farke’s priority list.
While he wasn’t the best attacker of Leeds’ big three last term, the 2024/25 season could be one where the Italian shows his worth.
The West Yorkshire outfit have one of the best teams in the Championship and will be aiming for the automatic promotion spots.
In fact, if they can manage to keep their current run of form going for the entire season, they could even be contenders to win the league by the end of the season.
In other Leeds news, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has revealed why he chose Sheffield United over the Whites.
For more Leeds news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.