YouTuber Conor McGilligan has accepted that exciting Leeds United youngster Wilfried Gnonto will likely be targeted for a transfer switch in the near future.

What’s the word?

The player only arrived on deadline day last summer, moving from FC Zurich for a fee believed to be just under £4m. That price is looking to be more or a bargain by the minute.

Indeed, the Italian has shone in recent weeks and has three goals and one assist in his first ten senior outings for the Whites, totalling at just 623 minutes of game time.

However, with Leeds struggling down a the bottom end of the Premier League table, it's unlikely that their best talents will hang around for that long and so if Gnonto continues to impress, he could be set for an exit soon enough.

This certainly seems to be the option of McGilligan. Indeed, he told the One Leeds Fan Channel: “What a signing he could be in terms of - because it’s a shame, isn't it, but it is how football works - in terms of us having to sell him on.

"We're not in a position right now to keep someone like Willy Gnonto for a long period of time, which is upsetting, of course it is.

“But at the end of the day, we can love Willy Gnonto for as long as we can and hopefully we can keep him for a longer period. But this is the perfect Raphinha replacement.

"He's a wonderful player, a wonderful player. I don't care if I've not seen enough of him - seven games, whatever he's played... he is a star. He's an absolute star.

"Football intelligence, great balance, fantastic shot, football IQ, agility - he's got everything."

Next Raphinha?

It's interesting to hear McGilligan reference Raphinha as he is a good example of a top player who quickly outgrew Leeds. Indeed, the Brazilian joined from Rennes for £17m in October 2020 but did enough in just two seasons to earn a big-money transfer to Barcelona.

And it feels as though Gnonto could be destined to follow a similar pathway. After all, he is Italy's youngest-ever goalscorer, having netted at 18 years and 222 days old.

And so, while his career in England is still in its infancy if the teenager can continue to shine – and deliver more wondergoals as he did against Cardiff City recently - top clubs will surely come sniffing with genuine transfer interest.