DEAL CONFIRMED: Leeds has agreed deal to sign a world-class star

DEAL CONFIRMED: Leeds has agreed deal to sign a world-class star

Leeds United lost several of their key players during the summer transfer window after they failed to secure promotion to the Premier League last season.

 

Daniel Farke led his side to a third-place finish in the Championship before losing 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley in May.

 

Their failure to return to the top-flight caused a number of stars to pursue exits from Elland Road, rather than staying and playing second division football for another year.

 

Archie Gray, Glen Kamara, Crysencio Summerville, and Georginio Rutter all moved on, as Tottenham Hotspur, Rennes, West Ham United, and Brighton & Hove Albion swooped in to sign them on permanent deals.

 

Rutter-Leeds

Farke will now be plotting to secure promotion from the Championship this season, in order to avoid losing any more of his key players in the summer transfer window next year.

His side are currently sixth in the division and have only lost one of their opening six games in the league, winning three and drawing two of the other five.

 

One player the German manager may be hoping to keep hold of moving forward is Italian whiz Wilfried Gnonto, who remained at Elland Road after the likes of Rutter and Summerville left.

 

Why Leeds should want to keep Gnonto

During the summer, it was reported that Leeds would have been willing to accept an offer of around £25m to £30m for the 20-year-old starlet, amid interest from Premier League side Everton.

Ultimately, however, the former Inter prospect did not secure a move away from the club and, after the summer transfer window slammed shut, Gnonto put pen to paper on a new four-year contract with the Whites – taking him through to the end of the 2027/28 campaign.

 

That came just over a year on from when the winger handed in a transfer request in an attempt to force through a move to Goodison Park in 2023. Leeds had rejected four offers from the Toffees, including one worth £25m, and the youngster made himself unavailable for games against Shrewsbury and Birmingham to push through a deal, with no success.