Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto is ‘ready to say goodbye’ to the club in the January transfer window and Maurizio Sarri is considering signing him for Lazio.
That’s according to Tuttomercatoweb, who say Gnonto has once again ‘asked to leave’ Elland Road as he is not a starter under Daniel Farke.
They explain that while Leeds consider Gnonto as an important asset, both on a technical and economic level, they are yet to hand him a starring role and that’s not gone down well with Gnonto.
He wants to be playing regularly to ensure he is in the picture for Euro 2024 with Italy next summer, with Luciano Spalletti making it clear that playing time and performance are key to players being in the squad.
Thus, he wants to move, and Lazio are looking at a possible deal for him, with contact already underway between those in charge at Leeds and the Italians.
However, Leeds demands are currently ‘outside the parameters’ that Lazio are willing to pay. Their president Claudio Lotito has never made ‘heavy investments’ in the January transfer window.
That could change as they seek Champions League football, though, and Sarri has made it clear he’s a big fan of the player. Whether that leads to a change of strategy remains to be seen but ‘initial contacts’ between the various managements have already happened.
Now, interestingly that directly contradicts what was reported earlier this week when it was made clear Lazio were not looking at a January transfer and they were instead looking at him for next season.
Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between, and Lazio are simply evaluating a possible move and whether Leeds demands are excessive or worth matching.
What is increasingly clear is that Gnonto still wants to leave Elland Road after his failure to get out in the summer transfer window.
