Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier could finally see his frustrating time at the club come to an end in the January transfer window.
Once one of the most highly rated young goalkeepers in Europe, Illan Meslier has been a peripheral figure at Leeds in recent months.
A string of high-profile errors saw Meslier dropped by Daniel Farke during the Championship run-in last season, with Karl Darlow taking his place in the Leeds side.
Meslier was linked with a string of clubs in the summer, but that interest never crystallised into a transfer, and he has been reduced to a watching brief in the Premier League this season.
Now, the Frenchman could finally be handed a career lifeline, as Leeds’ latest stance on his future was revealed.
Who should start in goal for Leeds United?
Illan Meslier could leave Leeds United on a free transfer
Writing in The Athletic, journalist Beren Cross explained that Meslier could finally leave Leeds on a free transfer in the January transfer window.
Meslier’s contract at Elland Road expires at the end of the season, and, according to Cross, Leeds may be willing to buy out the remaining months of his deal to finally bring his time at Elland Road to an end.
Cross wrote: “Meslier’s contract expires in June 2026, so it is unlikely that any club that failed to strike a permanent deal in the summer will now offer Leeds a fee in January.
“A mutual termination of the goalkeeper’s contract could be one possible outcome, as happened with Patrick Bamford in August, if Leeds feel compelled to remove Meslier’s wages from their books five months early.”
Mutual termination is the best solution for both Illan Meslier and Leeds United
Meslier was one of the heroes of Leeds’ first season back in the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa, as he looked set for a career at the very top of the game.
However, five years later, he cannot force his way past Darlow and Lucas Perri in the pecking order at Elland Road and is yet to feature in a competitive game this season.
Should Leeds force Meslier out in order to obtain a fee in January? 💰
Daniel Farke wants to keep the Frenchman around, but the 49ers may disagree… 🤔
With Leeds set to face Sunderland in their next game, the minds naturally wander to Meslier’s error at the Stadium of Light last season, when he was wrong-footed by the bouncing ball in the last minute of the game to allow Sunderland to equalise.
There is undoubtedly a talented goalkeeper in there somewhere. However, ending Meslier’s ongoing purgatory at Leeds may be the only way for him to rediscover it.
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