Leeds United handed huge Wilfried Gnonto boost as Premier League club confirm forward transfer

Leeds United have been handed a huge boost in their bid to keep hold of Wilfried Gnonto.

Gnonto has dominated headlines this summer after pushing for an exit in recent weeks, leading to his exclusion from first-team training sessions by Daniel Farke. Though, all has been forgiven since then, with the Italy international apologising ahead of returning to the team with an inspired performance against Ipswich Town over the weekend, helping Leeds secure their first Championship win of the season.

There has been interest in the youngster this summer, but Leeds have been reluctant to sell, aware of the quality Gnonto can offer this season, while they are also well aware of the potential he holds.

Gnonto has attracted interest from one Premier League club in particular, with Everton reportedly chasing him throughout this summer. But with Leeds standing firm, it seems the Merseyside club have gone elsewhere to fill their attacking void.

Everton have now confirmed the signing of Udinese forward Beto, who scored 11 goals in 28 league appearances for the Italian club during a loan spell last season, on an undisclosed fee.

Speaking after his move was confirmed, Beto said: “It feels good to join Everton. I have always appreciated them as a club.

“Everton is a big, big club in the Premier League, well respected and has big history. It was easy to make this move. When a club like Everton tries to buy you in January and then comes again in the summer, you feel like, ‘Okay, they want me for real’, so that made the decision easy for me as well. My idol, Samuel Eto’o, played here, too, which makes it even more special.

“I can bring courage, I can bring confidence and I think my biggest thing is effort. I will always bring enthusiasm to the team and to our games. I feel like my style is a really good fit with Everton. I am looking forward to getting started - today, right now. I know the team needs to score more goals and I will try to help with this. I love to score goals. I know we need this and I am here to help. I will always give my best to score goals.

“It feels really good to be here and I want to make my mark. Let’s do it.”

The move is a huge boost for Leeds, with Everton likely no longer in the market for a forward, and certainly not one as expensive as Gnonto.