Leeds United loaned out several players in the summer transfer window to make space for new signings and also to get rid of deadwood.
Sebastiaan Bornauw, Lucas Perri and Joel Piroe were allowed to leave on loan in the final month of the transfer window, and only Piroe was not replaced by another signing.
Leeds also accepted a loan offer for Largie Ramazani from Burnley towards the end of the window, and the winger has made a bright start to life at Turf Moor.
The Whites also sanctioned a loan move for Wilfried Gnonto, who joined Fiorentina on deadline day after Jean-Mateo Bahoya moved to Leeds. The Serie A club have an £18m option to buy.
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Leeds United loanee could return to Elland Road this summer
Wilfried Gnonto has had a rocky start at Fiorentina, where manager Fabio Grosso, who signed him, was sacked immediately after his debut.
Paolo Vanoli has taken charge of Fiorentina, and while they won 4-2 in his first game in charge against Venezia on Saturday, Gnonto was used from the bench.
According to Football Insider, Gnonto could force his way back into Daniel Farke’s plans next summer if the Italian club do not take up the option on him.
It is still too early to predict how things will go for Gnonto at Fiorentina, but for now, he is not starting games in Italy either.
And £18m remains a significant fee for a midtable Italian club, and the winger would have to do very well to earn that permanent move next summer.
He still has a contract until 2028 with Leeds, and there is more than a good chance that he will be back in Yorkshire next summer.
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Why Fiorentina may not want to pay £18m for Gnonto?
The financial landscape of the Premier League and Serie A is in two different worlds. While the English top-flight clubs spent a mammoth £3.56bn in transfer fees, their Italian counterparts spent less than £850m.
While a midtable club in the Premier League can afford to splurge big on transfer fees, their Serie A counterparts do not have the same luxury and need to penny-pinch.
For a midtable team such as Fiorentina, £18m is a big fee, and they would only fork out such a sum for a player who they feel would be a real difference-maker.
Gnonto has to break into the starting eleven first and start putting on the sort of attacking numbers that would make Fiorentina consider taking up the option on him.
However, there is still a decent chance that the Serie A club would want to renegotiate the transfer fee next summer even if they want to keep Gnonto.
At this stage, Leeds cannot be certain that they will receive the full £18m from Gnonto’s departure next summer, and he may even return to Elland Road.
