Leeds United may have seen a late twist arise over a spree of deadline day exits, according to Phil Hay.
Who is leaving Leeds United?
It has proven to be a busy deadline day at Thorp Arch this summer with the future of a number of their players still hanging in the balance with just a matter of hours remaining until the window shuts.
Indeed, it is being reported the Whites are still sweating over the future of their Italian youngster Wilfried Gnonto with Premier League side Everton believed to hold a serious interest in the winger.
And on top of Gnonto, there are reports suggesting Luis Sinisterra could be set to depart by the end of play with the likes of Bournemouth said to be making a move for the Colombian.
This comes after the Yorkshire club have already seen the likes of Jack Harrison leave this summer for a Premier League return.
And it seems as if Gnonto and Sinisterra may not be the only players who could still make a late exit from Elland Road with Darko Gyabi potentially leaving the club before the end of the day.
It has been reported by The Athletic’s Leeds correspondent, Hay, that there has been a “late development” in the youngster’s future with a loan move to Fleetwood Town initially believed to be on the cards.
Instead, French side Valenciennes have made a late approach to Leeds to take the 19-year-old over to Ligue 2 on a permanent basis, and his future now hangs in the balance.
How good is Darko Gyabi?
The 19-year-old midfielder made the move across to Leeds last summer from Manchester City in a deal which is believed to be worth in the region of £5m.
He is a player who arrived at Elland Road with England’s U19s manager, Simon Rusk, noting the player as one who has real leadership qualities: “He’s got real energy,” Rusk said.
“I think what I do have is, there are a few players who would possibly be deserving of the armband. Obviously, we had the camp in September and Darko lent himself to some leadership roles, he captained the group in one of the games.
“We lost [former captain] Sammy Braybrooke unfortunately, due to a nasty injury earlier in the season, so Darko’s stepped up to that well.”
However, appearances for the Whites have been hard to come by since making the move from the Premier League champions.
Indeed, since arriving in Yorkshire, Gyabi has made just five appearances for Leeds with a late cameo on the weekend making up his only opportunity in the Championship under Daniel Farke (via Transfermarkt).
However, with his current opportunities at Leeds not looking promising, it will be intriguing to see whether the Whites could potentially look to cash in on the young prospect after just one year at the club.
Whether his future hinges on the departures of Gnonto and Sinisterra is yet to be seen – Leeds chiefs may not want to lose three promising talents all in the space of 24 hours.