Nottingham Forest 'awaiting response' after making £17m 'bid' for Leeds United man

Nottingham Forest have reportedly made a bid of £16.9 million to secure the services of Wilfried Gnonto from Leeds United. Gnonto has been heavily linked away from Elland Road over the last 12 months with interest coming from both the Premier League and Serie A.

He's a player Leeds have been keen to keep hold of and the club made that stance abundantly clear last summer amid interest from Everton. However, the Whites’ failure to win promotion to the Premier League last season ensures difficult decisions will have to be made this summer in regards to player sales and it seems Forest may be the first side to test the club's resolve.

According to a report by Africa Foot, the club have made an offer to Leeds for the Italy international. However, it is claimed Leeds have not yet responded to Forest's approach, with an answer one way or the other expected before too long.

Gnonto has made his desire to play top flight football clear in the past but it remains to be seen if Leeds deem the offer to be worthy of accepting, or whether they would even be willing to sell the winger at all. The 20-year-old isn't the only man to be linked away this summer, with the futures of Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville dominating the headlines at this early stage of the summer, but if the report is accurate, Gnonto is the first to attract a bid.

It comes following what was something of an up and down season for the winger, who has been a member of the Whites' first-team since making the move from Zurich in the summer of 2022. Gnonto made 44 appearances in all competitions under Daniel Farke, bagging nine goals and three assists along the way, but there were lengthy periods where he struggled for form.

In fact, after refusing to play last August in the hope of forcing through a deal to join Everton, he scored just one goal in the first months of the Championship season. Such form saw him lose his spot in the starting XI, with Summerville and Dan James becoming Farke's first choice wide men.

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However, he managed to prove his worth in the second half of the season with seven goals coming in February and March before hitting the back of the net once more in the win over Middlesbrough in April.

Gnonto has lost his place in the Italy squad in that time, too, with the winger's 13th and last cap for his country coming in September in the win over Ukraine. He has since been relegated to the nation's U21 squad.

The youngster has made 72 outings since bursting onto the scene in the Premier League under the guidance of Jesse Marsch with memorable goals coming against West Ham United, Manchester United and Cardiff City in the FA Cup during his first few months in the side.