Zurich wanted £13m for Willy Gnonto before his £3.5m Leeds move

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Leeds United managed to sign Willy Gnonto for a bargain fee.

Of course, that is hardly news. But a report from Calciomercato has outlined just what a discount Leeds secured when they managed to bring the 19-year-old to Elland Road in the final moments of the summer transfer window.

Leeds spent £3.5 million on Willy Gnonto. And it became apparent within a handful of appearances just what a talent the Whites had signed.

Leeds signed Gnonto for almost £10m less than Zurich’s original asking price

He played a role in the winner on his Premier League debut against Liverpool. And he helped steal the show on a number of occasions over the turn of the year.

Leeds are surely going to make a huge profit when the time comes to let Gnonto go.

It was always a bargain to sign Gnonto for so little. But it turns out that FC Zurich had initially wanted considerably more for the teenager.

According to Calciomercato, the likes of Roma, Fiorentina and Sassuolo all had Gnonto on their radar. But they backed away from a move when Zurich told them that he would cost £13.2 million.

In truth, had Leeds spent £13.2 million, it would have still been a bargain. That is how good the Italy international has been with the Whites.

Obviously, the move for Gnonto in the summer only came about because other targets did not join. But the club do deserve some credit for having the plans in place to target him.

Hopefully, we can keep Gnonto for as long as possible. He is still developing. And he is not yet the finished article. There have been a few games this term where he has been quieter as teams have doubled up on him.

But Gnonto is a ‘outstanding’ talent with a huge ceiling. £13.2 million would have represented a brilliant piece of business. £3.5 million is frankly outrageous.