According to an Italian news site, former Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri wants the teenager at the Stadio Olimpico in January, but his £17.3 million price tag is “currently decidedly outside the parameters” for the club.
Gnonto still wants to leave Elland Road, especially after his limited opportunities under Daniel Farke, which might jeopardize his prospects of playing for his country, and the report doubts whether Lazio will pay £17 million or more in the winter window, which remains to be seen.
Will Lazio make a January move? Claudio Lotito has never made significant investments in the winter market in the past.
“Will he make an exception during the Champions League?” Will he give in to Maurizio Sarri’s demands? According to the coach, “it remains to be seen whether these initial contacts between managements will be pursued.”
After everything that happened during the summer, it’s difficult to see Leeds fans being surprised that Gnonto wants to depart again.
He tried it his all to force his way out before the start of the season, but the 49ers stood hard and stated unequivocally that he was not for sale, so it will be fascinating to watch whether that attitude softens in the coming weeks.
Gnonto missed a large chunk of the season with an injury and in that time has now found himself behind Crysencio Summerville, Daniel James and even Jaidon Anthony in the pecking order on the wing which could well be his final straw.
Whether he deserves the starts, is another matter given his dreadful showing in his last match against Stoke City, replacing Summerville who was rested.
As per SofaScore, Gnonto rarely touched the ball with just 38 touches throughout his 70 minutes on the pitch, failed to register a single key pass, failed 100% of his dribbles, won just four of his 11 ground duels at a disastrous 36% success rate, had a 0% success rate from his crosses and did not register a single shot on target, while losing possession 13 times.
It doesn’t seem as if Farke is totally convinced by his motivation to help Leeds United in their hugely significant ambitions in the Championship to seal promotion, and for that reason alone, the German may well be asking the 49ers to listen to offers for him
