Leeds United transfer news as Everton make £25m bid for Willy Gnonto
Everton have made an offer of up to £25million for wantaway Leeds United forward Willy Gnonto, according to Sky Sports.
Gnonto is the subject of disciplinary proceedings at Elland Road after making himself unavailable for the Whites’ past two fixtures, as he attempts to force through an exit.
Sky Sports reported on its live transfer blog on Wednesday [16 August, 15:38] that Everton have been in talks with Leeds over the Italy international for over a month, with four separate offers being tabled in that time.
The £25m offer is said to have been inclusive of add-ons and also included a sell-on clause.
Leeds holding firm
It had already been widely reported that Leeds had knocked back multiple bids for Gnonto, but none of those were thought to have been higher than the £20m region.
United made clear in a statement last Friday [11 August] that they had no intention of selling the 19-year-old, and this latest update suggests they are very much true to their word.
However, given the player is desperate to depart, Leeds chiefs must surely have seriously contemplated whether to accept Everton’s large bid in order to bring an end to the saga and land a replacement ahead of next month’s deadline.
While it is unknown exactly how much the Toffees were offering upfront, the overall package is fairly decent considering Gnonto has only played 24 games in the Premier League.
With a little over two weeks of the transfer window still to run, it may well be that Leeds are holding their nerve before potentially accepting an offer.
That is a risky strategy, though, as if Everton withdraw their interest then they are left with an unsettled player on their books; one whose valuation will surely only decrease the longer he remains in the Championship.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has provided an update on Tyler Adams’ Elland Road future amid links with a Premier League switch.