Everton submit £25.7m Wilfried Gnonto bid, Leeds make swift transfer response
Everton have had a £25.7m bid for summer target Wilfried Gnonto rejected by Leeds United, according to journalist Shamoon Hafez.
The BBC journalist, taking to his personal Twitter account (1 September), has shared that Everton submitted the offer last night on 31 August, but was rejected as it fell short of Leeds United’s £30m valuation
A report from Italian outlet Sports Mediaset earlier today claimed an agreement had been reached between the two clubs, and that Gnonto would say goodbye to his teammates, but that was played down by Hafez.
And according to the BBC journalist, Everton are unwilling to go higher than their latest offer.
He tweeted: “I’m told Everton had a £25.7m bid rejected for Wilfried Gnonto last night, still short of Leeds’ £30m valuation.
“That’s three offers Leeds United have turned down now and stance has been clear all summer, they don’t want to sell.
“Everton not willing to go any higher.”
Time to move on?
Everton are in the market for at least one new attacker with two weeks of the transfer window to go, having seen their goalscoring problems from last season continue into the new campaign after three-straight defeats.
With just hours left of the transfer window to go, it looks terribly unlikely that Gnonto will be an Everton player after the Blues have now gone on to make three offers for the Italian international.
Following the additions of Arnaut Danjuma, Youssef Chermiti, Beto and Jack Harrison, Sean Dyche is certainly desperate for another attacker but that looks increasingly likely now with the transfer deadline now fast approaching.
While Leeds are well within their right to command a high fee for Gnonto, £30million seems a fair bit of money for a player who has just one Premier League season under his belt.
And it’s time Everton move on to alternative targets if they can. It looks as if Gnonto will be staying at Elland Road beyond this summer, but another Everton bid simply can’t be ruled out in the near future.
In other Everton news, BBC journalist Hafez has also shared what he’s been told by one Toffees player’s agent regarding a potential summer exit.