Football
Exclusive: Leeds Plan New Deal to Keep Illan Meslier Despite Bench Role
Leeds United is hoping to retain goalkeeper Illan Meslier with a new deal, despite him falling out of favour this season. Meslier, who has not played a game this season, could still have a way back into the first team according to manager Daniel Farke. Meslier's current contract expires in January, but Leeds may opt to offload older keeper Karl Darlow instead. Meslier's Premier League experience and financial sense make him a valuable asset for the club.
Leeds United v Villarreal CF - Pre-Season Friendly by Neal Simpson/Allstar | Getty Images
Leeds United hope to tempt goalkeeper Illan Meslier with a new deal despite having fallen down the Elland Road pecking order, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
French shot-stopper Meslier has not played a game this season having been replaced between the posts.
Brazilian goalie Lucas Perri has started before Meslier this season, despite the 25-year-old having been the Whites’ first-choice keeper last season as the club won the Championship crown.
Meslier played in 39 games last season in the second tier in a fine campaign for the Yorkshire club.
But this season the former Lorient man has been cast by the wayside and been stuck on the substitute’s bench in what has been arguably is most frustrating start to a season yet.
However, despite having fallen out of favour with Leeds boss Daniel Farke, the German still admires Meslier and believes there is a way back into the first team.
GOALKEEPING COVER
Our sources the club are actively looking at new keepers to strengthen their squad, but offering Meslier a deal to stay makes sense from a financial point-of-view and the former France Under-21 international’s Premier League experience, having played no fewer than 105 games in the top-flight across his first three seasons at the club.
This season is Meslier’s sixth season at Elland Road, but the only season he has yet to play a game having been a mainstay of the first-team squad during his duration at the club.
He initially joined the Whites on a season-long loan deal in August 2019 and was rewarded with a permanent three-year deal worth £5million in January of the following year.
Meslier signed a contract extension to 2026 in August 2021, but surprisingly Farke has opted not to use him this term as the club contest their first season back in the Premier League after a two-year absence.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.