Illan Meslier agrees personal terms to complete Leeds exit, plus update on fee negotiations
Leeds United outcast Illan Meslier has reportedly reached an agreement on personal terms with Turkish side Besiktas.
Besiktas are in talks for Meslier, with the winter transfer window set to remain open until Friday for Turkish teams.
The Frenchman is yet to make a single appearance across any competition this season after falling out of favour in the last campaign.
His replacement, Lucas Perri, has been slammed at Leeds since arriving from Lyon in the summer to be the new number one.
The Brazilian was dropped on Saturday as Arsenal beat Leeds 4-0, with Karl Darlow palming Noni Madueke‘s corner into his own net.
Besiktas close in on Illan Meslier
Meslier signed for Leeds from Lorient in 2020, and enjoyed several superb seasons in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old attracted the interest of several clubs, including Chelsea, over the years, but he looked set to remain as the number one at Elland Road.
That was until last season, when, despite having started 39 consecutive Championship games, Meslier was dropped for Darlow.
The Frenchman had made several high-profile mistakes, including a shocking error in the closing stages against Sunderland.
As Leeds looked to see out a 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light, Meslier, in an incredible moment, dropped a slow-bouncing ball between his legs and into the goal.
According to a highly-followed Besiktas insider, Besiktas plus, on social media, the Turkish club have now agreed on personal terms with the goalkeeper.
Meslier is very keen to join Besiktas, and the deal could be completed within the coming days as the clubs near an agreement.
What Daniel Farke has said about Meslier’s future
Locked out of the squad in the wake of Perri and Darlow, Meslier will hope for a move away in the coming days to get his career back on track.
It has been a dramatic twist for the shot-stopper’s career – just a few years after he was a starting choice goalkeeper in the Premier League.
But at just 25, Meslier is still very young for a goalkeeper, and he can easily get into form with a move away in the coming months.
“I’ve made my feelings clear,” Daniel Farke said when asked about him in December. “He’s a goalkeeper full of potential.
“At this young age to have so many appearances in Premier League and Championship level is remarkable. We’ve needed all our goalkeepers [in squad] so far due to illness or injury.
“It can change in January if someone wants to leave but I’ve got no plans to change my goalkeeper set up.”