In January, the superstar announced his departure, and the £17.3m demad was met by……
Leeds United attacker Wilfried Gnonto is ready to say his goodbyes at Elland Road with Serie A outfit Lazio already initiating contact to sign him, according to Tuttomercatoweb.
The Italian news outlet reporting on 4 November, shares that former Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri wants the youngster at the Stadio Olimpico in January, but his £17.3m price tag is “currently decidedly outside the parameters” for the club.
Gnonto still wants to leave Elland Road, especially now after his limited opportunities under Daniel Farke which could derail his chances to feature for his country and the report questions whether Lazio will cough up £17m-plus in the winter window which remains to be seen.
“Will Lazio make a move in January? Not easy, historically Claudio Lotito has never made heavy investments in the winter market.
“Will he make an exception in a Champions League season? Will he listen to Maurizio Sarri’s requests? The coach estimates Gnonto, it remains to be seen whether these initial contacts between managements will be followed up.”
After everything that went on in the summer, it’s hard to say that Leeds fans will be shocked that Gnonto reportedly wants to leave again.
He gave his all to push his way out at the start of the season and the 49ers held firm and made it crystal clear that he wasn’t for sale, but it will be interesting to see if that stance is now softened in the coming weeks.
Gnonto missed a large chunk of the season with an injury and in that time has now found himself behind Crysencio Summerville, Daniel James and even Jaidon Anthony in the pecking order on the wing which could well be his final straw.
Whether he deserves the starts, is another matter given his dreadful showing in his last match against Stoke City, replacing Summerville who was rested.
As per SofaScore, Gnonto rarely touched the ball with just 38 touches throughout his 70 minutes on the pitch, failed to register a single key pass, failed 100% of his dribbles, won just four of his 11 ground duels at a disastrous 36% success rate, had a 0% success rate from his crosses and did not register a single shot on target, while losing possession 13 times.
It doesn’t seem as if Farke is totally convinced by his motivation to help Leeds United in their hugely significant ambitions in the Championship to seal promotion, and for that reason alone, the German may well be asking the 49ers to listen to offers for him.
An inevitable exit seems to be edging closer and closer
