Willy Gnonto ‘will leave’ Leeds United as Everton and Aston Villa battle for £21m transfer deal – Alfredo Pedulla
Leeds United are set to lose Willy Gnonto this summer as Aston Villa have joined the race to sign him, according to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla.
The 19-year-old is a known target for Everton and they are reported to have already taken “important steps” towards a deal three weeks ago.
Gazzetta dello Sport had reported (27 June) the Toffees were battling with Bundesliga club Freiburg for the Italy international, with background interest from Serie A giants Juventus and Inter.
Pedulla, on his website, puts Everton at the front of the race, but reports that Unai Emery’s Villa side have now made contact alongside the Germans for information over a deal.
The journalist pegs Gnonto’s asking price as high as €25million [£21m] but states that he “will leave Leeds”.
Blow
With Daniel Farke finally set to be announced as the new manager on Tuesday (4 July) it won’t be overly positive news that greets him if the Whites star has made his mind up about leaving.
It would be difficult to keep hold of any player who has proven themselves capable of taking over Premier League games in the second tier.
But having dropped out of the line up under both Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce, however inadvisably on their parts, and at just 19, it might seem more feasible with Gnonto than some of his older teammates.
However, it certainly appears that Everton are pushing hard to sign him, although their financial situation surely makes £21m a tricky proposition unless Leeds United are willing to accept a staggered payment structure.
Emery’s arrival at Villa Park has made them an attractive proposition for plenty of players and with Crystal Palace also mooted to be in the race as they look to replace Wilfried Zaha [Mirror, 24 June] and the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal credited with at least some interest [Calcio Mercato, 30 May] it looks like it will be an uphill battle if the Whites have any hope of convincing him to stay.
With so many options open to him Gnonto pretty much holds the cards, even if he doesn’t have a relegation release clause in his Elland Road contract, since there would be little point keeping hold of an unhappy player for a promotion push in the face of such strong Premier League advances.
Farke’s impact on the situation should become clear soon, but it may be that the only thing left for the club to do is secure a decent deal to let Gnonto leave.
In other Leeds United news, “total agreement” has been reached for another man to leave Elland Road for what could prove to be a permanent move according to a Sky Sports journalist.