Leeds United's Wilfried Gnonto during the warm up
Leeds United star Wilfried Gnonto is open to the idea of returning to his native country, with a number of Italian sides keen on his services, according to 90min.
The Lowdown: First team impact
Gnonto arrived at Elland Road on deadline day last summer from FC Zurich after the club failed in moves for Cody Gakpo and Bamba Dieng. Since then, the 19-year-old has become a regular in Yorkshire and has been key in the final third for the Whites, contributing to seven goals in 20 appearances.
He was one of the first names on the team sheet in Jesse Marsch’s final few months in charge, catching the eye of Gary Neville with his display against Aston Villa back in January.
However, under new head coach Javi Gracia, Gnonto has had to make do with a place on the bench in two of the four Premier League games, failing to play the entire 90 minutes in either start against Southampton and Wolves. Gnonto was brought off after an hour for Rasmus Kristensen against Wolves, something which left him ‘visibly frustrated’, according to Leeds writer Adam Perry.
The Latest: Transfer news
90min reporters Graeme Bailey and Jack Gallagher shared an update regarding Gnonto in the last 48 hours.
They claimed that Juventus, AS Roma, AC Milan, Napoli and Atalanta have all been keeping an eye on the forward, who could be set to leave the club after just one season. The report also adds that Gnonto is open to the idea of moving to Italy.
The Verdict: One to watch
Gnonto has also been linked with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City in recent days, so it seems as if it could be just a matter of time until he departs Elland Road.
You’d expect that relegation for Leeds would almost guarantee a departure for the Italy international, and even if the club stay up, it looks as if he could also depart.
Signing Gnonto for just £3.8m has proven to be a shrewd piece of business, with Neville describing his maturity on the left wing as ‘unusual’ for a player of his age, so you’d like to think Leeds would be in line for a healthy profit.
Remaining in the Premier League could leave Leeds in total control of Gnonto’s future, with the player under contract until 2027, so this could be one to keep an eye on heading into the summer.
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