Everton’s interest in Leeds United winger Willy Gnonto remains but the likelihood of the Merseyside club signing the attacker during this window has dwindled following recent transfer developments.
Leeds’ stance on Gnonto’s future is that he remains contracted at Elland Road and unless an offer meeting or exceeding their internal, undisclosed valuation of the Italy international is met, he will stay put.
Everton’s financial situation means the Premier League side are unlikely to be able to meet Leeds’ demands, which will probably require a large chunk of any transfer fee paid up front, evidenced by their acquisition of Denmark winger Jesper Lindstrom.
The Dane has joined Sean Dyche’s Toffees on a season-long loan with an option to buy included in the deal which takes him from Napoli to Goodison Park, meaning nothing more than a token loan fee and wage coverage will be reflected in the club’s 2024/25 accounts, similar to the deal which saw Jack Harrison return to the blue half of Liverpool.
While this diminishes the likelihood of a Gnonto transfer this summer, due to increased competition, the key question of financing remains. Although, a failed takeover by The Friedkin Group earlier this month is not thought to pose a significant impact to the club’s transfer business.
Leeds’ sale of Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur for £40 million has allowed the Whites to drive a hard bargain for any of their sought-after players this summer.
United believe they are in a position to dictate terms with any interested clubs and while exploratory talks may well take place for certain individuals, offers or approaches which rely on Leeds receiving payment in instalments or an exiguous fee up front are not likely to be entertained by the Elland Road hierarchy.
Merseyside sources believe Everton may be one such club seeking to conduct business with deferred payments in mind, in order to stay the right side of the line with regards to Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) for the financial year ending June 2025.
The Toffees fell foul of the Premier League’s financial controls in recent seasons and were hit with two separate points deductions during the course of 2023/24, but still managed to avoid relegation.
Given the volatile and competitive nature of England’s top flight, there is no guarantee another sporting sanction would not yield a scenario in which the club lose their Premier League status.
It was widely accepted last season’s bottom half was among the weakest in recent years with all three newly-promoted sides – Burnley, Luton Town and Sheffield United – relegated straight back to the Championship.
Nevertheless, 24-year-old Lindstrom appears to have taken priority over Gnonto, potentially due to Leeds’ demands, and while it is clear a long-standing interest in the Italian very much exists, acquiring the 20-year-old this summer would be seen as a bonus of sorts by those running the show at Everton’s Finch Farm training base.
There are other areas of Dyche’s Everton squad which could do with supplementation before the August 30 transfer deadline, namely full-back, central midfield and centre-back, depending on the future of Manchester United-linked Jarrad Branthwaite.
Leeds hold the cards on Gnonto’s future at this stage of the window, but that is not to say definitively he will be a United player on August 31 – the transfer landscape could shift again in the next five weeks should Branthwaite move to Old Trafford for a significant fee, for example.
Such a windfall may lead Everton to pull the trigger and meet Leeds’ demands, while the player is unlikely to turn down the opportunity to play Premier League football over another 46-game Championship slog in which he may be required to play second fiddle to 13-goal Dan James.
As it stands, the Italian has not yet been the subject of any bids deemed acceptable by Leeds and is expected to be involved with Daniel Farke’s group in their one remaining behind-closed-doors friendly over in Germany, as well as their final practice match against Valencia before the August 10 season opener at home to Portsmouth.
