Everton 'move on' after reaching Wilfried Gnonto impasse as £4.2m 'likely' enough for Leeds United target

Leeds United returned back from Germany on Monday with two wins from two and plenty to be encouraged by. Daniel Farke’s side scored six goals in their combined 180 minutes of football, with half of those courtesy of the exciting Mateo Joseph, while Joe Rothwell, Jayden Bogle and Brenden Aaronson were among several to impress. The squad will now have a couple of days off before preparing to face Valencia on Saturday, with less than two weeks until Portsmouth come to Elland Road for the start of the 2024/25 season.

Whether Leeds welcome any more players through the door before facing Portsmouth remains to be seen but those in charge at Elland Road are working hard to put Farke in the strongest position to win promotion. There is also the not-so-small task of keeping suitors away from Crysencio Summerville, Wilfried Gnonto and others. It’s set to be a busy few weeks in West Yorkshire and the YEP has rounded up some of the latest headlines surrounding the club.

Gnonto latest

Everton are thought to have ‘cooled’ interest in Wilfried Gnonto as Leeds hold firm on the winger’s valuation. Football Transfers reports that the Toffees have no intention of meeting the 20-year-old’s price-tag and are continuing to explore cheaper alternative options, having already committed a potential £36million on wide reinforcements.

Sean Dyche’s side spent £17m to bring Iliman Ndiaye from Marseille and inserted a £19m option to buy in their season-long loan of Napoli’s Jesper Lindstrøm, with the pair joining the returning Jack Harrison in moving to Merseyside this summer. Interest in Gnonto remains from last summer but Leeds are not looking to sell the Italian and will not do business unless it is on their terms.

There is no suggestion of how much Leeds might demand for Gnonto but previous reports have varied, with some ranging up to £30m. The winger still has three years left on his contract at Elland Road and hasn’t yet shown any signs he is wanting to leave, enjoying a solid pre-season so far.

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Defender price-tag

Leeds will have to up their reported bid for Jordan Torunarigha by £1.7m if they want to lure him away from Gent. Italian outlet Tuttomercato reports that Farke’s side are yet to return after seeing a €3m (£2.5m) offer knocked back in May, adding that it could take up to €5m ($4.2m) to secure the defender’s signature.

The report is centred around interest from Monza, but mentions English trio Leeds, Crystal Palace and West Ham as potential rivals for the centre-back’s signature. Torunarigha, 26, has impressed since joining Gent from Hertha Berlin in 2022 but is now into the final 12 months of his contract and could look to move on if the opportunity arises.

The need for reinforcements at centre-back is not urgent at Leeds, with Joe Rodon making his loan permanent earlier this summer while Max Wober looks set to stay and fight for promotion, having spent last season on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach. Farke suggested any remaining activity will likely be at full-back or in central midfield, following Saturday’s 2-0 win over Schalke.