Fabrizio Romano confirms Leeds ‘Here we go’ for Willy Gnonto exit with £62m replacement lined up
Leeds United are expected to bid farewell to Willy Gnonto before the transfer window closes after Fabrizio Romano dropped his trademark ‘Here we go’ over the winger’s move to Fiorentina, with full details revealed over the move and with the Whites now hopeful of landing an eye-catching replacement of their own.
The popular Italy international is now into his fifth season as a Leeds United player, having arrived in a bargain £3.9m (€5m) deal from FC Zurich in September 2022.
While he has made 147 appearances in that time, scoring 23 goals, Gnonto has fallen out of favour in recent months, following Daniel Farke’s formation switch to a 3-4-2-1 that has put more emphasis on wing-backs than natural wingers.
As a result, speculation over a summer exit from Elland Road has never been far away, and with those reports have been gathering serious pace over the last 48 hours.
Indeed, with Fiorentina very much keen and in talks with Leeds over a deal to bring Gnonto, Romano has now given his move to the Serie A side the ‘Here we go’, stating that La Viola have now reached an agreement with the Whites over a transfer.
Writing on X, he stated: ‘Fiorentina have agreed a loan deal to sign Willy Gnonto from Leeds United, here we go!
‘The verbal agreement is done, with a medical booked on Tuesday, as Sky Sport reported.
‘LUFC accepted to include a buy option clause in the deal; Fiorentina cover full Gnonto’s salary.’
Offering a counter to claims that the deal will 100% go through, journalist Ben Jacobs stated on X: ‘Fiorentina have agreed a loan with buy option to sign Leeds’ Willy Gnonto.
‘However, the deal will not be sanctioned unless Leeds bring in another attacker.
‘Leeds still hoping to sign Mykhailo Mudryk on loan despite no breakthrough in talks since mid-August.’
READ MORE: Leeds hopeful of deadline-beating signing of £62m Prem attacker but Farke misses out on Danish striker
Leeds need to sign Mudryk before Gnonto can leave
With a deal now in place for Gnonto to leave, hopes will be growing at the Leeds United end that they can bring in Chelsea’s Mudryk as his replacement.
The winger, signed in a £62m deal from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, has just been cleared to resume his career after allegations of doping offences, dating back to December 2024, were dropped.
But with no easy route into the Chelsea first team, the Blues have been prepared to let Mudryk leave on loan, with Leeds having already seen two offers fall flat.
Nonetheless, the Whites remain hopeful they can convince Chelsea to loan them the player, with sources revealing the Ukrainian star has made a move to Elland Road his priority, though with the Blues wanting some sort of guarantee over first-team minutes before greenlighting any move.
Per reports over the weekend, the Whites are ready to launch a fresh move for Mudryk before the window shuts, with the update on Gnonto’s prospective exit enhancing claims that an exit could be on.
Discussing Mudryk’s future, Romano added: ‘Mykhailo Mudryk set to leave Chelsea before the deadline, loan deal being discussed.
‘Leeds United insisting for days, but there could be surprises based on opportunities. Mudryk wants to stay in the Premier League.’
Farke has acknowledged that his side still need reinforcements before the window shuts.
Commenting on what he would ideally still like to do after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Brentford, Farke stated: “Happy on the goalkeeper position.
“Outfield, the group is not too big. Senior centre-backs and wing-backs, we don’t have the most.
“We will stay awake. One or two more additions would definitely be helpful. With the players I’ve got, I’m very happy.”
As Farke has hinted, a new centre-half could be on the agenda, what with the club losing Joe Rodon to a suspected hamstring tear on Sunday.
One name we understand that Leeds could look into signing is towering Everton centre-half Jake O’Brien.
