49ers “talks in progress” to sell another Leeds player alongside Ayling

Luke Ayling’s Leeds United profession might come to an finish throughout the January switch window. Sky Sports activities reported this week that fellow Championship facet Middlesbrough are all for signing Ayling, who’s out of contract on the finish of the season.

Ayling has began eight second-tier matches this season, however hasn’t featured in any respect within the competitors since a quick substitute look within the 1-0 win at Leicester in early November. Certainly, he is solely made the bench 4 instances since (Transfermarkt). If the Englishman does go, he won’t be the one important exit from Elland Highway this month, with one other participant who’s been struggling for sport time doubtlessly on his means out too.

Everton deep in Gnonto talks

Leeds paid round £3.9m to signal Wilfried Gnonto from Swiss membership FC Zurich simply final yr, and he performed 28 video games for the first-team in his debut marketing campaign. This yr, he is racked up 21 outings, however solely seven of these have been Championship begins (Transfermarkt).

All of this may increasingly have elevated Everton’s confidence about with the ability to signal the ahead. The Toffees have regarded him as a “principal goal” since November and, in accordance with journalist Rudy Galetti, they have been in talks with Leeds over a switch “for weeks”.

49ers Enterprises and their counterparts at Goodison Park are “working” in the direction of discovering an “settlement” on the switch payment, after which it should come down as to whether Gnonto can agree private phrases.

Gnonto deserves larger probability at Leeds

Based mostly on Gnonto’s restricted alternatives beneath Daniel Farke this season, it would not be notably suprising if he needed out. However that does not imply it would not be a disgrace to see him depart Yorkshire.

Whereas his numbers this season are nothing to write down house about – he is solely notched two direct purpose contributions – that may partly be put all the way down to his relative lack of involvement, and on the age of 20, he nonetheless provides loads of promise. Certainly, regardless of his youth, he is already amassed 13 caps for the reigning European champions in Italy (Transfermarkt).

Gnonto holds the honour of being his nation’s youngest-ever goalscorer after discovering the web in a 5-2 Nations League defeat to Germany in 2022 (Reuters). When you’re Everton, he is actually value a punt.

Throughout his time with Leeds, he is additionally produced actual moments of promise. Then-caretaker boss Michael Skubala dubbed him a “particular participant” after he scored in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United (Viaplay Soccer), whereas his scissor-kick volley in a 5-2 FA Cup win over Cardiff Metropolis drew comparisons to Paolo Di Canio’s iconic Premier League purpose in West Ham’s 2-1 win over Wimbledon in 2000.

Di Canio himself despatched a congratulatory message on the again of that strike, telling Gnonto that he had “fitted in in a short time” into the “most lovely, most coveted, most spectacular [and] most troublesome championship on the earth” (Leeds Reside).

On that foundation, you might actually argue that Leeds ought to give him extra time, and extra alternatives to indicate what he can do. Nonetheless, it appears that evidently discussions over a transfer to Merseyside are already effectively superior, and so it stays to be seen if he lives as much as the early hype elsewhere.