Door opens for Illan Meslier to join two Premier League clubs, they are both higher placed than Leeds
Illan Meslier is set to leave Leeds on a free next summer as clubs circle to swiftly sign him.
Sources told Football Insider that Meslier will likely run down his contract at Leeds with his current deal expiring next summer.
Leeds want to sell Meslier in January yet the club have to come to terms with the fact that the player is in control of his future, and may prefer to have free roam of the market at the end of the season.
Moreover, Ligue 1 sides have been lining up to sign Meslier as he considers returning to his home country.
Football Insider picks out the Premier League clubs who should snap up Daniel Farke‘s forgotten man ahead of his likely free agent summer exit.
Meslier ideal to cover Newcastle’s impending goalkeeper crisis
Newcastle need to tie Nick Pope down to a new contract, yet no talks have been reported with his deal expiring at the end of the season.
Similarly, Mark Gillespie will also become a free agent with no certainties over Aaron Ramsdale‘s loan becoming a permanent deal.
Odysseas Vlachodimos is expected to return from a season-long loan from Sevilla yet has not been given ample opportunity to prove himself in the Premier League.
Therefore, Eddie Howe is bracing himself for a goalkeeper crisis with his first choice shot stopper on the way out and no plans to bring in a new option.
Meslier would be a risk-free signing that could be initially brought in to be the number one but could later become a bench option if he underperforms.
The Frenchman’s recent poor form will not fill Howe with confidence, yet he would provide a solution to the possible keeper exodus next summer.
Emiliano Martinez uncertainty to open Aston Villa to Meslier arrival
Like 11th-placed Newcastle, Aston Villa are ahead of Leeds in 13th in the Premier League table despite their wobbly start to the new campaign.
Sources told Football Insider that Man United are plotting a fresh bid for Emiliano Martinez after they failed to sign him last summer.
Aston Villa were looking to offload some of their biggest stars due to PSR concerns, with the Argentine presenting himself as one of the most lucrative options.
At 33-years-old, the World Cup winner is in his prime years as a goalkeeper and a sale in the future will command a high transfer fee for the Villains.
Should the Red Devils finalise a move for Martinez, Unai Emery would be left with just Marco Bizot as his sole shot stopper.
| Selected stats 2024-25 all competitions | Illan Meslier | Emiliano Martinez |
| Appearances | 39 | 53 |
| Minutes played | 3,510 | 4,636 |
| Clean sheets | 21 | 15 |
| Goals conceded | 27 | 61 |
By Meslier joining on a free next summer, the Midlands club would not have to worry about PSR concerns given he would arrive with no transfer fee attached.
Moreover, if Bizot was to continue his upwards trajectory at Villa Park, the Frenchman could be utilised as a number two, similar to Newcastle’s situation.