Leeds United are yet to receive any offers for goalkeeper Illan Meslier despite reports suggesting the Frenchman has agreed to a move to Fenerbahçe.
Meslier's future at Elland Road is uncertain after a difficult 2024/25 campaign, albeit one that ended in promotion to the Premier League. The goalkeeper was dropped for the final seven games of the Championship season due to high-profile errors that suggested a loss of confidence. Manager Daniel Farke replaced the Frenchman with Wales international Karl Darlow for the title run-in and Leeds shipped just three goals in the remaining fixtures as they finished top of the table. Letting the number one position slip from his grasp in the second tier has made it highly unlikely that Leeds would continue to regard Meslier as their first-choice for a Premier League campaign in which survival will be the only goal. Whites recruitment chiefs have set out to give Farke a squad capable of defending their box and repelling set-pieces. Even if Meslier's occasional struggle under the high ball was not regarded as an issue, however, his shot-stopping was problematic at times in both of the last two seasons. Leeds are known to be looking at goalkeeping options as they strengthen the core of Farke's starting XI.
Another consideration for Meslier's future is that he is in a small group of players for whom Leeds could bank pure profit and give themselves spending headroom under Profitability and Sustainability regulations. Meslier was signed permanently in 2020 for a fee of around £5m, which thanks to the amortisation of transfers means any money Leeds get for him this summer will almost certainly count as profit. Leeds are expecting to make sales this summer and could go down the route of letting go of a high-value asset like Willy Gnonto or Pascal Struijk, but turning a tidy profit on a player who is not expected to feature as a first-choice starter will be an even more attractive option.
Player agreement report
Reports in Turkey say that Meslier is a target for Fenerbahçe, who expect to part company with Croatian international stopper Dominik Livaković this summer. But while some of those reports suggest that Meslier's arrival in Turkey is imminent and terms have been agreed with the 25-year-old, Leeds are yet to receive any offers for the stopper.
Fenerbahçe finished second in the Süper Lig, earning a Champions League qualifying round spot, and made it to the last 16 of the Europa League where they were ousted by Leeds' sister club Rangers. European football would be an obvious carrot but any move that takes Meslier away from English football and allows him to reinvent himself and get back on track would seem advisable. Under Marcelo Bielsa he was a player of big potential and even after promotion to the Premier League Meslier appeared to be on an exciting trajectory. There was talk at one stage of interest from Chelsea, talk the player himself encouraged somewhat in a media interview, but the last three seasons have brought a downturn in his personal fortunes between the sticks. A summer 2025 move has become almost inevitable and perhaps just as attractive for the player as for his club.
On the incoming transfer front Leeds continue to work to bring in further additions having snapped up free agent striker Lukas Nmecha and £15m centre-back Jaka Bijol. The latter's arrival was confirmed on Monday evening after a protracted period of negotiations between Leeds and his former club Udinese, before delays around the final paperwork.
Continue Reading