Leeds United and starting goalkeeper Illan Meslier will need a new contract soon as his current deal expires in 2026. However, the player is reportedly making a key demand in negotiations.
Meslier has been with The Whites since 2019, arriving on loan from FC Lorient and joining the club permanently in 2020. The 24-year-old has made 179 appearances at Elland Road and recorded 54 clean sheets.
Furthermore, this 2024-25 season, the player has three clean sheets in four matches, which is why Leeds are unbeaten so far with two wins and two draws.
The Frenchman has also experienced success with Leeds as he was part of the squad that won the Championship during the 2019-20 season. If the English side want to win promotion again, Meslier will have to play a significant role between the pipes.
Illan Meslier stands firm in negotiations with Leeds
After playing in the Premier League for a couple of seasons, Meslier reportedly wants to return to top-flight football, and he’s making this demand to Leeds as extension talks between the two sides begin.
“The 49ers enterprise’s approach is very much that their hands have been a bit tied contractually, and anyone that they negotiate with, they want to try and remove that clause,” journalist Ben Jacobs told Give Me Sport.
“But of course, from the player’s point of view, if you knew the clause existed for others, or you signed a new long-term deal, and I think this is particularly the case, from what I hear, with Meslier, that the player may want to protect themselves against the fact that if Leeds don’t go up, they’re stuck on a long-term deal, and maybe they feel their development is elsewhere. So it’s a balancing act.”
Meslier remained loyal to Leeds despite interest from Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille this past summer transfer window. However, will this loyalty be tested again next year if Daniel Farke and his team fail to secure promotion back to the Premier League?
This season is crucial for Leeds if they hope to keep their starting goalkeeper long-term because if they play a third straight season in the Championship, the club could be saying goodbye to Meslier, whose current transfer value is €18 million, per Transfermarkt.
