Leeds United transfer news as Wilfried Gnonto would have loved late Freiburg switch
Wilfried Gnonto would have loved to make the switch to Freiburg from Leeds United this summer having been one of the German club’s top targets, according to Bild.
The German outlet reported on Wednesday (6 September) that the Bundesliga club has marked the 19-year-old as their top target to strengthen their attacking options but they were unable to match Leeds United’s valuation of the Italian.
Gnonto was keen on making the switch to the Bundesliga club and hoped to make the transfer right up until the end of the transfer window, with a move to Freiburg much closer than was reported in England and the more likely destination for the winger than Everton.
The Toffees were interested in the Leeds wide-man but Gnonto had only agreed personal terms with Freiburg and the chances of him making the switch to Goodison Park were exaggerated by the reports in the United Kingdom.
Everton had reportedly agreed on personal terms with the teenager for a five-year deal, leading to the winger making himself unavailable for selection for Leeds’ Carabao Cup match against Shrewsbury Town [Fabrizio Romano, 10 August].
Staying with Leeds
The talk surrounding Gnonto’s Leeds United future won’t be going anywhere despite the transfer window closing with speculation about who bid for him when and who might want to secure his services in the future continuing to circle likely until the window opens again in January.
For the Whites the most important thing this summer was keeping him at Elland Road, no matter who offered the Italian a deal as they view him as a vital asset to have in their hunt for a return to the Premier League this season.
A move to Freiburg would have likely appealed, with the German club offering top-flight football and a chance for Gnonto to establish himself as a player worthy of making the Italian side for the Euro 2024, but the Whites did the right thing by not dropping their valuation.
Daniel Farke and his side would have been disappointed with how they lost Luis Sinisterra on deadline day and had a similar occurred with a late Eland Road exit for Gnonto, Leeds would have suddenly been lacking quality in the wide areas with little time to replace the outgoing stars.
Whether or not Gnonto is unhappy to have missed out on the move to the Bundesliga becomes almost irrelevant now, with Farke deeming him to be in the right frame of mind to feature against Sheffield Wednesday after the deadline and the 19-year-old putting in an impressive performance.
Until January, at least, he is a Leeds United player and one of their most important at that. Hopefully, he can put the summer’s speculation behind him and begin to star again in the United side.
In other Leeds United news, Helder Costa is running out of time and options to depart Elland Road this summer