Leeds United may have to be ruthless when it comes to deciding who stays and who goes this summer.
Since the 1-0 defeat to Southampton in the Championship play-off final 10 days ago, much of the focus has been on who could be leaving Elland Road when the window opens.
Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray are just two of the players who have been attracting the most interest so far, with Leeds knowing that some key men will have to depart.
However, chairman Paraag Marathe has been pretty bullish in his insistence Leeds will have a squad ready to push to go one better when August rolls around.
Though that will include funds for new players, it will also have to mean being firm in telling some who, perhaps see their future at a higher level, they won’t be going anywhere.
Transfer insider shares latest on Willy Gnonto future
Following the lucrative sponsorship deal agreed with Red Bull, as well as the potential sales of the returning loanees, Leeds certainly aren’t in a position where they have to sell everyone this summer.
Championship POTS Summerville certainly feels the most likely to move on, with a reported price tag of £30 million set by Leeds.
Chelsea and Liverpool are among those interested, and you certainly couldn’t begrudge him of a move to a club like that if they were to make concrete offers.
However, in an exclusive interview with LeedsUnited.News, transfer insider Graeme Bailey has claimed Summerville’s exit could actually help them keep his close friend Willy Gnonto.
Gnonto has already been linked with an exit this summer after Leeds’ play-off final defeat, with claims he is seeking a return to Italy.
Bailey believes Leeds could see Gnonto as the ideal in-house replacement for Summerville and that they would be reluctant to lose both. He would also not be surprised if he signed a new deal.
He said: “He had talks over a new deal that went unsigned. It wouldn’t massively surprise me if he signed a new deal. They can’t let everyone go. If Summerville was to go, is Gnonto the ideal replacement to come in? Arguably yes.
“With Gnonto it depends who else goes. The season he has had, if you couldn’t sell him last summer, I don’t think clubs will be queuing up this summer. For him career wise, he is better off staying at Leeds and signing a new deal.
“That’s the way I see it playing out, unless one of those suitors in Italy really like him, but I don’t see Leeds taking a massively reduced fee for him. It will be hard for anyone to get him out, as proved last summer.”
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Gnonto had been close to new deal at Leeds earlier this year
It will certainly be interesting to see what happens with the ‘excellent‘ Gnonto this summer, given the developments on his future over the last few months.
Not only had Leeds been confident of agreeing a new deal in January, but Gnonto also separated from the agent that guided him throughout last year’s saga.
The 20-year-old enjoyed a good run of form in the second half of the campaign but definitely did not have a season on the Summerville did.
Perhaps Leeds could persuade him with another year of Championship football by handing him the role of being the main man on that left-hand-side in place of Summerville.
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