Further details emerge of Everton’s pursuit of Leeds United player

Everton have had four offers turned down by Leeds for Wilfried Gnonto.

HIGHLIGHTS

Everton have had four bids for Wilfried Gnonto rejected, the latest of which would have seen them pay up to £25m for the attacker.

Everton pushing to sign Wilfried Gnonto

It was a hugely disappointing season for Leeds last time out, as they were relegated from the Premier League, but Gnonto was one of few positives for the Whites.

The winger was signed from Zurich for a bargain £5m and quickly established himself as an important player.

Therefore, it’s perhaps no surprise there has been plenty of interest in the Italian international this summer, with the Toffees pushing the hardest to bring him in, as it had been well-documented that they had failed with a £20m bid.

However, in a fresh update, Sky Sports revealed that Everton have actually made four offers for Gnonto, who is very keen to make the move to Goodison Park, but Leeds are taking a firm stance as they look to keep him.

“Sky Sports News understands Wilfried Gnonto made himself unavailable for the games against Shrewsbury and Birmingham because he is unhappy at being denied a move away from Leeds.

“It is understood there had been negotiations over a move to Everton for a month prior to this. Within that time, there was understood to have been four offers made by Everton, culminating in the latest one of £25m inclusive of add-ons, plus a sell-on clause.

“Leeds confirmed in a statement last Friday that it “is now an internal disciplinary matter and the club will make no further comment, other than to reiterate that Willy Gnonto is not for sale.”

Will Leeds sell Wilfried Gnonto this summer?

As mentioned above, the Whites have made it clear that they don’t want to sell Gnonto, and you can understand why.

He has four years left on his contract with the club, and, unlike many of his teammates, there is no release clause as part of his deal, so Leeds are not under pressure to cash in.

But, the situation is complicated by the unprofessional behaviour from Gnonto in the past week or so. It’s unacceptable that he has refused to play, and he is now training on his own as boss Daniel Farke waits to see what happens with the forward ahead of the deadline.

For many fans, Gnonto has burned his bridges, and you can understand that stance, so many won’t want to see the player pull on a Leeds shirt as well.

Leeds United summer transfer plans

This has been a very challenging summer for Farke, and you have real sympathy for the coach as he hasn’t been able to do the business he would’ve wanted.

In truth, the 49ers are paying the price for the previous ownership, who put the clauses in the contracts of many first-team players, which has contributed to this difficult summer so far.

Farke will hope that there’s positive news in the next week or so, and it will be interesting to see how the squad looks come September 1.

Leeds are back in action against West Brom on Friday, with Gnonto not expected to be involved as he continues to train away from the main group.