Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto has turned down the opportunity to join Premier League side Everton this summer, according to fresh reports.
When did Wilfried Gnonto join Leeds?
The Italy international only arrived at Elland Road from FC Zurich last summer, but having impressed during his 28 senior appearances in his debut season in the top-flight, he’s attracted significant interest from the Toffees, especially following relegation to the Championship.
Football Insider previously reported that the Merseyside outfit were leading the race to sign the 19-year-old, who is expected to leave despite still having four years remaining on his contract, but they haven’t got very far in their attempts to lure him to Goodison Park.
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Sky Sports have claimed that the Whites have rejected several approaches for their winger which has left Sean Dyche’s side since turning their attention towards alternatives in the form of Leicester City’s former loan star Tete and Southampton’s Kamaldeen Sulemana, and Daniel Farke has now been given a further indication that he’ll be able to hang on to his prized attacker.
Is Wilfried Gnonto leaving Leeds?
According to TEAMtalk, Gnonto has "made it clear" to his representative that a switch to Everton is "not appealing to him" ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Serie A clubs also hold an interest so there's a chance that a move to his homeland "could still be on the cards", but as it stands, it's stated that he would "prefer to stay" in Yorkshire.
The Whites "retain an element of confidence" that they will therefore keep the talented teenager to help with the club's immediate push for promotion.
Whilst Gnonto departing for the Serie A still remains a possibility, Leeds and Farke have received a huge boost by learning that their “diamond”, as lauded by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, has turned down the chance to join Everton, and it’s important that they continue to do whatever they can to retain his services beyond the summer.
The LS11 outfit's £20k-per-week earner last season racked up six goal contributions (four assists and two goals) in 24 Premier League outings whilst recording a total of 50 shot-creating actions over the course of the campaign, which was the fourth-highest tally throughout the squad, via FBRef, highlighting his desire to produce moments of quality for himself and his teammates.
The Verbania native also provides the boss with excellent versatility with his ability to operate in seven various positions, including everywhere across the frontline and even three roles in the midfield, making him a great option to have available with the possible injuries that could occur from the relentless amount of fixtures in the second tier.
Having already sanctioned the permanent exits of Rodrigo and Tyler Roberts, alongside Robin Koch, Maximilian Wober, Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen and Marc Roca who have all completed loan moves elsewhere, Farke will be determined not to lose any more of his first team stars in the final weeks of the window, especially Gnonto.