Wilfried Gnonto will now seek a move away after Everton reignited their interest in his signature.
That’s according to the Daily Mail, who have reported that the Italian requested to be left out of Leeds United’s line-up to face Shrewsbury Town in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
Gnonto had been heavily linked with a quick move back to the Premier League after the Whites were relegated last season, with Everton the one club that looked adamant on snapping him up.
However, the Toffees saw a £15 million bid rejected last month and reports since claimed that Gnonto had decided against joining Everton and could instead stay at Elland Road.
While the deal looked almost dead in the water, Football Transfers have now reported that Sean Dyche’s side could revisit a move for the ‘special’ 19-year-old.
This news has now been followed by Gnonto’s decision to step away from the Carabao Cup match, leading to questions over whether the winger has had second thoughts about moving to Merseyside.
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Journalist not convinced by rumours that Wilfried Gnonto could still join Everton
While the Daily Mail have claimed that Wilfried Gnonto didn’t want to be included in Leeds United’s win over Shrewsbury, journalist Alan Myers has now said it ‘isn’t a surprise’ that he wasn’t named in the squad.
Myers believes that Gnonto was probably just left out because of ‘squad rotation’ after playing 82 minutes of the Whites’ 2-2 draw with Cardiff City only three days before.
It will be interesting to see whether the teenager is now named in Leeds’ squad to take on Birmingham City this weekend and, if he is absent, then a move could well be on for Everton.
It’s unclear how much Everton will be willing to pay to land Gnonto, though fans will be hopeful that the youngster could be signed alongside Hugo Ekitike.