Leeds United are expected to sell a handful of key players this summer as Paraag Marathe and The 49ers need to bring in some cash to deal with their inherited credit card bill.
The Whites reportedly owe £190m in player transfers, with money still owed to Barcelona for the deal to sign Junior Firpo. That figure is offset by deals to sell Luis Sinisterra and Tyler Adams to Bournemouth.
But Marathe has made it clear that some players will have to be sold. Crysencio Summerville is the one expected to be sold, given he was bought for £1.3m and will rake in a massive heap of profit and cash.
Leeds are supposedly willing to sell Archie Gray with Tottenham and Manchester City interested. But nothing has materialised just yet to suggest that either Gray or Summerville are close to a Leeds exit.
Nottingham Forest table bid to sign Leeds United player
One player that could also depart is Willy Gnonto and reports over the weekend claim that the Italy winger has emerged as a target for Premier League club Nottingham Forest, with a bid now on the table.
It is said Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are ‘very interested’ in signing Gnonto from Leeds this summer with Forest looking to bolster their ranks out wide alongside Callum Hudsoin-Odoi and Anthony Elanga.
Forest are said to have tabled a £16.9m bid for Gnonto with Leeds yet to reply, but a decision due in the coming days. If those reports are true, then Leeds simply have to cash in and offload Gnonto to Forest.
Leeds simply have to accept offer on table for Willy Gnonto
One key reason, apart from raking in a near £17m fee, is that Gnonto was bought for £3.8m from Zurich in 2022. Financial Fairplay does not just dictate how much is owed, but profit made on players when sold.
That profit is allowed to be reinvested into the squad and given Leeds would be making more than four times their initial outlay on the Inter Milan academy product, it benefits Leeds greatly to accept the offer.
Not only that, but Gnonto struggled last season. Failing to start in the first half of the season, he was very much indifferent during the second half when integrated into the starting XI by Daniel Farke at Leeds.
Accepting the bid from Forest would provide Leeds with much-needed cash, £13.1m in profit able to be reinvested, and a large fee for a player that didn’t warrant a price of £17m last term as Gnonto struggled.