Leeds United had four goalkeepers going into last season, but the situation has changed drastically this summer. At the start of the new season, the club only have three first team goalkeepers available.
Alex Cairns, Illan Meslier, Karl Darlow and Lucas Perri were the goalkeeping group last year.
Perri was brought in to become the club’s number one after Daniel Farke benched Meslier in the promotion run-in. But in the Brazilian’s debut season, he had a lot of ups and downs.
It got to a point that Farke chose Darlow after Perri made a series of errors.
The Welsh stopper finished the season as number one, which raised a lot of questions over Leeds’ future in the goalkeeping department.
Illan Meslier could leave Arsenal before transfer deadline
Illan Meslier. Credit: IMAGO
But a lot of it took care of itself, as at the end of the season three of the four goalkeepers were out of contract.
Leeds United did offer Karl Darlow and Alex Cairns new deals to get them to stay. Cairns signed a new contract to remain as reserve goalkeeper, but Darlow chose a move to Manchester United.
Illan Meslier however, received no contract offer, bringing his seven-year stay in West Yorkshire to an end.
The French keeper’s summer has been a quite eventful one; Arsenal signed him on a free transfer. This came as a bit of a shock to Leeds fans, who were baffled at how he managed a move to the Premier League champions.
🚨EXCL: 🔴⚪️🇫🇷 #Ligue1 |
❗️Illan Meslier est l’une des pistes actives de l’OM au poste de gardien en cette fin de mercato.
⏳️ Marseille doit encore dégraisser avant de pouvoir avancer concrètement sur ce dossier. pic.twitter.com/twRnrWj1Eb
— Santi Aouna (@Santi_J_FM) August 27, 2026
With five days left to the transfer deadline, Meslier could be on the move again.
Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna is reporting that Marseille are keen on a deal for the French goalkeeper.
However, a transfer is not straightforward as the Ligue 1 side need to sell a few players before they can put together a deal for the 26-year old.
READ MORE: Sky Sports provide update on Leeds United transfer plans
Leeds have their own goalkeeping situation to deal with
With just days until the transfer window closes, the goalkeeping department at Elland Road is still not set in stone.
Lucas Perri is still a Leeds player despite having been linked with an exit for the last few weeks. Torino have agreed a deal for the Brazilian, but it is yet to be formalized.
The plan is for Perri to leave and the club landing a backup goalkeeper.
This target is currently Eintracht Frankfurt star Michael Zetterer. The player is said to have flown to Leeds over the weekend to discuss a move, and now things are in place.
The club will be bolstered with news of Frankfurt adding a new keeper this week.
