Leeds United transfer landscape shift possible after £50m deal as failed takeover hits brakes on official bid
Everton’s £50 million sale of midfielder Amadou Onana to fellow Premier League side Aston Villa could fund an official approach for Leeds United’s Willy Gnonto after repeated links throughout the summer window.
Gnonto remains a Leeds player under contract until 2027 with no known release clauses in his Elland Road deal, but persistent links to the Toffees have re-emerged during the summer window.
Last year, Gnonto submitted an official transfer request as Leeds prepared to face West Bromwich Albion in the Championship and was subsequently removed from contention. United rejected the Italian’s request and following talks with manager Daniel Farke, Gnonto was reintegrated into the first-team setup away at Ipswich Town days later – but Everton’s interest has not gone away.
It was widely speculated that links to Everton and a Premier League return are said to have turned the youngster’s head, which may have led to the submission of a transfer request. While there are no such indications this time around that the player is keen to depart Elland Road, Everton’s interest remains but is yet to materialise in an official approach.
That may be about to change, though, following the £50 million sale of Belgian international Onana to the Villans.
Everton’s financial woes have been well-documented over the past couple of seasons, none more so than last term in which they were hit with two separate points deductions for breaching Profitability and Sustainability regulations, by exceeding the Premier League’s £105 million loss limit over three seasons.
The Goodison Park club were hopeful of a takeover by American investor and AS Roma owner Dan Friedkin’s group this summer, however a recent communication by the club confirmed talks had broken down.
“Following a period of exclusivity, discussions between Blue Heaven Holdings and The Friedkin Group over a potential sale of a majority stake in Everton have ended and The Friedkin Group will not be progressing with a purchase of the Club,” a statement read last week.
Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri is looking to sell his controlling stake in the club after several years of sizeable expenditure which has not yielded desired results on the pitch.
Nevertheless, the day-to-day operation of the club continues and transfer business this summer has not been overtly affected. Jack Harrison, for example, has returned to Merseyside having spent last season on loan there with the Toffees providing full wage coverage for the Leeds-owned player.
Onana’s sale, which is conservatively estimated to be among the club’s biggest along with the likes of Romelu Lukaku and John Stones, could potentially change the transfer landscape for both Leeds and Everton. If the club’s financial position is stable enough to justify launching a bid for Gnonto’s services, a situation in which Leeds receive an official offer for the Italian could arise.
Leeds’ valuation of the 20-year-old is unlikely to be greater than around 50 per cent of Onana’s sale price, meaning Everton would not be required to expend the entire sale on the Italian’s hypothetical incoming.
However, without the guarantee of fresh investment in the form of a Friedkin-led takeover, Everton’s financial picture remains unclear at best. Onana’s sale may instead be better utilised improving the club’s balance sheet, as opposed to funding further incomings.
So far this summer, Sean Dyche’s side have spent approximately £24 million on Aston Villa’s Tim Iroegbunam and former Sheffield United attacker Iliman Ndiaye combined. The club are reported to have recouped in the region of £71 million for Lewis Dobbin (Aston Villa), Ben Godfrey (Atalanta) and the aforementioned Onana.
Gnonto featured in Leeds’ first pre-season friendly against Harrogate Town last Friday and is with the rest of Farke’s squad at a pre-season training camp in Germany where they will play two behind-closed-doors friendlies against local sides.
Following the £40 million sale of Archie Gray at the beginning of July, Leeds believe they can dictate terms on any further outgoings. Should an offer come in for Gnonto deemed acceptable by the Elland Road hierarchy, Leeds are prepared to move quickly to source a replacement having lined up potential replacements.
