Wilfried Gnonto transfer latest as Leeds share new update on Everton target

Everton remain interested in Wilfried Gnonto but face the task of convincing Leeds United into a sale

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has confirmed that Everton transfer target Wilfried Gnonto is training away from his first team.

The Blues have seen several bids rejected for the Italy international this summer as the 19-year-old eyes a return to the Premier League following the Whites' relegation to the Championship last season.

Gnonto has made just one appearance this season after being asked to be kept out of Leeds' last two matchday squads. He will also be absent for their home clash with West Brom on Friday.

Everton are still interested in the attacker, the ECHO understands, as Sean Dyche looks to welcome a second summer arrival from Elland Road after Jack Harrison completed his season-long loan earlier this week.

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Farke, who has been in situ at the West Yorkshire club since the summer, confirmed that Gnotno was among three players, along with Luis Sinisterra and Helder Costa, currently training away from the squad on individual programmes.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he said: "I can confirm the closer we edge to the end of the transfer window, the more and more we are in control over the situation. This is what has happened over the last days. The situation is up a little bit, the closer we edge towards the end of the transfer window we are back in the driving seat and it's definitely good news.

"There are many questions and it would take too long to speak about each individual at length. With Willy, we've spoken about each and everything so what I can say is, which is important to say this in an open and honest way, that Helder Costa, Willy Gnonto and Luis Sinisterra are training separately from the group.

"They have individual training in order to stay fit and to be prepared, they are also moved out of the dressing room for different reasons. We've spoken at length about the situation with Willy. With Luis Sinisterra, it's also different to the situation compared to Willy Gnonto. With Willy, we spoke about this, there is no exit clause, we have made it quite clear that we won't sell him. With Luis, it's different, he had some exit clauses in his contract and it was more like some open contractual question marks, legal question marks, for that he wasn't available for the last game."

After admitting that there was no exit clause for Gnonto following the Whites' relegation, Farke was open in the situation surrounding the teenager and revealed the reasons behind casting him away from the first team.

"We also decided with Willy that from the legal point of view, it's clear and obvious that he won't train with the group because his mind won't concentrate and he won't concentrate, and focus fully on football, and we didn't want the group to be distracted from these topics," he continued.

"The situation is sorted, we have decided to move him out of our group but we're working unbelievably hard in the last few days, there's been some movements, so we will find a judgement from the legal point of view, but it seems that pretty quickly everything will be sorted. At the moment, today all three players were playing separately from the group and we will see what happens over the next (few) days."