Leeds United must do their ‘utmost’ to keep wantaway winger Wilfried Gnonto amid transfer interest from Everton, according to former Whites midfielder Michael Brown.
Despite Gnonto's previous attempts to force a move to Everton, the 11-cap Italy international has been reintegrated into the first-team set-up at Leeds. Manager Daniel Farke said Gnonto had apologised having previously refused to play for the Championship side but warned the 19-year-old he is on his last chance.
Leeds have reiterated their stance that Gnonto is not for sale this summer as they strive to regain promotion to the Premier League. While Brown predicts that Gnonto will have a major part to play for the Whites, the pundit admits they face a tough decision if a substantial bid of around £30 million is made ahead of Friday’s deadline.
He told Sky Sports (via LeedsLive ): “He's a great talent and they'll have to try their utmost to keep him. He's the one who's going to create in this league having the ball more, it's different in the Premier League.
“He could be the difference. I think you have to look at his character, see what he's like and see if you believe he's not just going to fall away.
“That's the manager, the people in and around him, his teammates possibly need to get hold of him. Then you've got a decision to make because it's such a vast amount of money they can't afford to get that wrong given the financial situation they're in at the moment.”
Everton appear to have given up hope of landing the forward, who marked his return to the Leeds side with a goal in the 4-3 win at Ipswich at the weekend. But the unpredictable nature of the final 48 hours of the transfer window means anything is possible.
Former Manchester United and Sheffield United striker Danny Webber agreed that Gnonto can play a big role in the Championship but questioned whether the former Inter Milan youngster is worth an asking price of £30m. Webber said: “Yeah he should play with a whole heart and play for his move if that's the case.
“He was fairly bright at the weekend in stages. I think the issue with him is you take him in for such a small amount of money, £4.5m but you want £30m for him and I don't think he's quite at that mark yet. Although he's had some great moments in the Premier League.”
Gnonto played 24 matches as Leeds were relegated from the top-flight last season. He is under contract at Elland Road until 2027, having joined from FC Zurich 12 months ago.
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