Everton ready to 'reinvest' £50m fee but face 'tricky' blow in pursuit of Leeds United's Wilfried Gnonto

Everton hope the £50million sale of Amadou Onana can kickstart their summer recruitment drive but recent reports suggest they are realistic regarding attempts to lure Wilfried Gnonto away from Leeds United.

Onana is expected to join Aston Villa in the coming days as Unai Emery strengthens his squad ahead of their return to the Champions League. At least one major exit was expected from Goodison Park amid ongoing financial issues, but manager Sean Dyche insisted earlier this week that the club will soon turn their focus to bringing players in.

The £50m boost from Onana’s exit will go some way to funding Everton’s recruitment and with wide reinforcements at the top of their summer shopping list, links to Gnonto inevitably resurfaced. Speculation has intensified in recent days and Leeds are aware of continued interest in their winger from Merseyside, but there has been no palpable developments at either end.

Reports earlier this week clarified that Gnonto was one of several options being weighed up by Everton and now The i reports those in charge at Goodison Park view a potential deal as ‘tricky’. The Toffees have already missed out on Yankuba Minteh and Jaden Philogene, who joined Brighton and Villa respectively, and are also thought to be monitoring Jesper Lindstrom of Napoli and Denmark.

There is no further detail on why Everton see a move for the Whites winger as tricky to complete but the financial aspect could prove problematic, with purse-strings tight at Goodison Park and more than one area of the squad to strengthen. Their £16m bid for Philogene suggests money is there to be spent out wide but Gnonto’s price-tag is thought to be north of £20m.

Leeds face another key season, so get closer to the action with our new newsletter - Inside Elland Road with Graham Smyth

Leeds have consistently said they are not actively looking to sell anyone, following Archie Gray’s £40m move to Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month, but the recent departure of Glen Kamara is evidence they will consider appropriate offers. Kamara joined Stade Rennais in a deal believed to be worth around £8m, almost doubling the money United spent on him less than 12 months ago - albeit a portion of that has reportedly gone to previous club Rangers.

Whether Everton can put forward an offer that would entice Leeds remains to be seen but it is unlikely to come soon, with Toffees chiefs at pains to keep costs as low as possible at every opportunity. They were already able to welcome Jack Harrison back on a second season-long loan from Elland Road, having been sufficiently impressed with the winger’s contribution last term.

Gnonto’s stance is also unclear, with the winger able to knuckle down and impress last season after handing in a transfer request and asking not to be involved in multiple matchday squads towards the end of last year’s summer window. The 20-year-old was eventually reintegrated and went on to score nine goals across all competitions, with fleeting reports even suggesting a new contract was in the offing.

That new deal is yet to materialise but the Italian international signed a long-term contract when he joined Leeds from FC Zurich in the summer of 2023 and is tied down until 2027.