Arsenal ‘keeping close watch’ on relegated Premier League wonderkid who Pep Guardiola also like
Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Leeds United winger Wilfried Gnonto ahead of a possible two-horse race with Manchester City for his signature this summer, according to reports. Gnonto was one of Leeds’ standout players over the course of the season just gone but was unable to prevent the Whites from dropping back down to the Championship after a three-year stay in England’s top flight.
The Italian forward managed to score four goals while providing another four assists in all competitions for Leeds, who only signed him from Zurich last summer for a cut-price transfer fee of just under £4million. It seems as though the Yorkshire outfit could soon be forced to wave goodbye to Gnonto after spending less than a year on their books, though, with Calciomercato reporting that Arsenal are weighing up the idea of a summer move ahead of next season.
It is said that Arsenal are following Gnonto’s situation closely as they continue to mull over whether or not to firm up their interest in his services when the bidding opens next month. However, they will be far from the only club with a desire to snap him up, with Gnonto believed to have no shortage of potential suitors from across Europe.
City have also been credited with a desire to land the forward this summer, while the likes of Fiorentina, Sassuolo and Roma are said to be keen on bringing Gnonto back to his native Italy over the coming weeks. Only time will tell how the situation will eventually play out, though, with Gnonto unlikely to want to stick around and ply his trade in the Championship at Leeds next season.
Gnonto has managed to turn plenty of heads with his impressive performances at Premier League level over the last few months and has established himself as a regular member of the Italy squad in recent seasons. It would seem, therefore, that the opportunity to continue playing top-flight football would appeal to him if Arsenal or City decide to come calling between now and the start of the new campaign.
Meanwhile, it has already been claimed by former Tottenham right-back Alan Hutton that Leeds may not be in a position to keep Gnonto or their other star players if they are targeted by bigger clubs this summer, especially if wage drop clauses in the event of relegation to the Championship have been written into their contracts at Elland Road.
Hutton told Football Insider: “What do you do? Do you have an unhappy player that does not want to be there in the Championship? They have probably got within their contracts where if you go down you get half your money, that is what happens to a lot of these teams.
“Therefore, a lot of people will want to leave. Do you have an unhappy player? Or do you sell them for as much as possible and get them out of the club and use the money to reinvest?”
