Leeds ready to incur significant loss on major flop with Everton set hefty fee to sign second star

Leeds United have reportedly slapped a £30m price tag on Wilfried Gnonto who seems highly likely to leave if they fail to secure promotion to the Premier League this summer – and also look set to make a significant loss on another underwhelming purchase.

After dropping into the Championship last season, which ended a chaotic campaign where four managers were in the dugout, Leeds are seeking an immediate return to the English top-flight.

Following a tumultuous last summer, where a host of players either left on loan or permanently, ex-Norwich City boss Daniel Farke has steadied the Leeds ship, and with three games of the Championship season to go, they are just two points off the last automatic promotion spot.

Behind the scenes, club owners the 49ers Enterprises will be preparing for the possibility of life in the Premier League, while also putting in place contingency plans should they fail to get out of the English second-tier this term.

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While the Whites have not fallen afoul of profit and sustainability rules for the time being, if they are not promoted, they will have to sell some of their top talent in order to not be hit by any form of punishment.

Winger Crysencio Summerville is likely to be the most sought after player in Leeds’ squad after scoring 17 goals and bagging eight assists so far – which helped him notch the Championship player of the season award.

Liverpool, Tottenham and Bayer Leverkusen have been linked with the 22-year-old, but the Peacocks may also have teams come in for some of his team-mates, too.

Leeds set asking price for rising star

According to Football Insider, the 49ers are ‘likely’ to accept an offer close to £30m for attacker Gnonto if they don’t go up this season. However, they may be willing to go as low as £20m if sides are not willing to meet their asking price.

Leeds reportedly had a bid in the region of £25m rejected from Everton for Gnonto last summer, with the Championship outfit valuing the Italian international at £30m. The Toffees instead went on to sign Jack Harrison on a season’s loan, with his future also likely to be discussed this summer.

However, their interest in Gnonto has never waned and the possibility of the Italy winger leaving could become a hot topic once again come the season’s end.

The ex-Inter Milan academy product, who signed in September 2022 from Zurich for a paltry £4m, then tried to force an exit from Leeds and refused to play in the away defeat to Birmingham in September.

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Farke successfully reintegrated Gnonto back into the first-team squad for the second half of the season, while giving the 20-year-old a final warning and since then he has scored eight goals and bagged two assists in all competitions.

But it seems if Leeds don’t get promoted this summer, the 20-year-old, whose current deal expires in 2027, is likely to be off to pastures new at the end of the season.

Leeds look to offload £25m flop

Incidentally, another 2022 Leeds recruit may have played his last game for the Yorkshire outfit. Brenden Aaronson was seen as a marquee signing ahead of the 2022/23 season as former boss Jesse Marsch looked to shape a squad in his image.

However, both the American coach and player struggled to have a positive impact at Elland Road, with the former getting sacked in February 2023 and and the latter’s strong start to the campaign became a distant memory towards the end of it.

The United States international scored just one goal and provided three assists in 40 appearances following his big-money move from Red Bull Salzburg, with the attacking midfielder too easily brushed off the ball – as his wiry physique came into question.

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Now on loan at Bundesliga side Union Berlin, the 23-year-old has flattered to deceive yet again; scoring twice in 34 matches – just 12 of which have been starts.

And reports suggest Leeds will get no more than £10m for the ex-Philadelphia player, whose deal at Elland Road expires in 2027. That would see him go down as a £15m loss on the balance sheet, therefore heightening the need to sell another player to offset that deficit.

Whatever happens at the end of the campaign, plenty of ins and outs are expected at Elland Road in the coming weeks and months, with the two sales of Gnonto and Aaronson set to net the Whites a combined fee of around £40m if they go through.