Leeds United are currently preparing to embark on a second season in the Championship as they look to earn promotion back up to the Premier League.
The Whites attempted to make an instant return to the top-flight during the 2023/24 campaign but they fell at the last hurdle, losing 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley.
Daniel Farke's side finished third in the division with 90 points, only three fewer than Marcelo Bielsa's title winners in 2019/20, but could not come out on top in the showpiece clash in London.
The German head coach is now at risk of losing some of his key talent as some stars may not want to play in the second tier for another year, amid interest from Europe's major leagues.
Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich have been credited with an interest in teenage whiz Archie Gray and 22-year-old sensation Crysencio Summerville has been linked with Premier League giants Liverpool.
Italian forward Wilfried Gnonto is another player whose future at Elland Road remains in doubt and Leeds could brilliantly replace him by swooping for one of their reported transfer targets this summer.
Leeds United's interest in South American wizard
The summer transfer window officially opened for business on Friday and the Whites are said to be eyeing up a winger who could become their first signing, if they can get a deal over the line.
It was recently reported by Brazilian media, via the Yorkshire Evening Post, that Leeds are one of a number of clubs interested in a deal to sign Fluminense forward Jhon Arias in the coming weeks.
The report claimed that the Yorkshire-based outfit have put forward a proposal to the Serie A club but it is likely to be rejected as Premier League side West Ham United are in the driving seat at this moment in time.
It was stated that the Hammers have offered an initial fee of £10.9m with add-ons that could take the total package to a fee of around £14m.
Crystal Palace and Leicester City, who won the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League this season, are also said to have put forward bids to land the right-footed star this summer.
It, therefore, seems like Farke and his team have plenty of work to do in order to win the race for Arias' signature, amid interest from three top-flight sides.
If they can secure his services, though, then they could land a dream replacement for Gnonto if the Italian ace departs Elland Road before the window slams shut.
Wilfried Gnonto's unclear future at Leeds
The young winger had handed in a transfer request last summer in an attempt to secure a move away from Yorkshire after the club had been relegated from the Premier League.
Everton had made an offer worth up to £25m for the Italy U21 international and the player attempted to force Leeds' hand after they turned it down.
He was ultimately denied an exit and stuck around for the 2023/24 campaign in the Championship, but the young forward is now reportedly ready to push for a move again.
It was recently reported that Gnonto is pushing for a transfer out of Yorkshire as he would like to move back to Italy to play in the Serie A, as the Whites star believes that it would improve his chances of breaking into the national team.
This comes after the 20-year-old attacker enjoyed a fairly successful season in the second tier as both a scorer and a creator of goals from the right flank.
Appearances
36
Starts
19
xG
5.36
Goals
8
xA
3.81
Assists
2
As you can see in the table above, Gnonto was directly involved in ten goals in 19 starts in the division – more than one every other start on average.
His eight goals from an xG tally of 5.36 also speak to the quality of his finishing in the final third, as the youngster rarely passed up a high-quality opportunity to find the back of the net.
These statistics suggest that Leeds will need to get his replacement right as they would be losing a big weapon from their arsenal, and would need to sign someone who can make an equally big, or bigger, impact at the top end of the pitch.
Why Leeds should sign Jhon Arias
The Championship side should now push to beat the three aforementioned Premier League clubs to the signing of Arias as he could be a dream replacement for Gnonto.
Like the Italian ace, the 26-year-old is a right-footed attacker who predominantly plays on the right wing, which suggests that he fits the profile of player Farke would want in that position.
Since joining Fluminense in 2021, the winger has racked up an eye-catching 35 goals and 38 assists in 168 games in all competitions, which shows that he can provide as both a scorer and a creator.
Arias has not had the best start to the 2024 campaign, with zero goals and one assist in seven Serie A appearances, but his form during 2023 and 2022 suggests that the quality is there for him to be a fantastic addition to the squad.
Appearances
33
29
xG
3.45
5.8
Goals
7
7
xA
6.48
4.42
Big chances created
15
4
Assists
10
7
As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old star caught the eye in both years with his exceptional finishing and creative ability for the Brazilian side.
He scored 14 goals from an xG of 9.25 and racked up 17 assists from 19 'big chances' created in the top-flight, which speaks to both his ability to score and create goals at an impressive rate.
The Colombia international, who was hailed as an "unsung hero" by South American writer Nathan Joyce, has not been on top form this year but Farke could hope to bring him back to his best, as his 2022 and 2023 levels indicate that he could be a dream replacement for Gnonto.
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Leeds could replace the want-away Italian with another right winger who can make a consistent impact in the final third, with goals and assists, by winning the race for his signature.