(Credit: Hasan Karim/Imago)

Illan Meslier and the three other Leeds United players set to leave Elland Road in 2026

Niall is a lifelong Leeds United supporter who began reporting on MOT Leeds News in July 2025 after initially joining Breaking Media a month earlier. He graduated from Leeds Beckett University with a first class degree in Sports Journalism in 2024 and has covered Leeds for multiple other websites. After attending Elland Road for the first time as a youngster with United in League One, Niall hopes to see Leeds reclaim their spot in the Champions League and get back to competing for the Premier League.

Published on:

07 Sep 2025, 5:15 am

Leeds United look set to lose multiple members of their promotion-winning squad at the end of the season.

With the number of new signings Leeds have made this summer, competition for positions in Daniel Farke's team has never been fiercer.

Whilst this uptick in competition has led to legends like Patrick Bamford leaving, other players could be set to follow suit after a season of warming the bench in the Premier League.

Illan Meslier is one of many players whose contract is set to expire at the end of the current campaign, as Leeds look likely to let him and multiple others walk away as free agents.

Patrick Bamford looks down whilst playing for Leeds United

Bamford had his contract mutually terminated last month (Credit: Imago)

Illan Meslier and Sam Byram amongst those with expiring contracts

Meslier is one of the players Leeds should sell to help aid with their PSR issues.

With Robbie Evans confirming the club have maxed out their PSR, Leeds look to be running out of time to get the Frenchman off their books before they risk losing him for free next year.

Byram, along with Alex Cairns and Karl Darlow, also have deals that expire in the next 12 months, and it looks unlikely that many of them have a long-term future at Elland Road.

Meslier has lost his place in the side and is now even behind Darlow in the pecking order
Darlow is 34, whilst Byram and Cairns are 31 and 32 respectively
Renewals for all four seem unlikely, as they all rarely feature

If all four players do leave, Leeds need to ensure they are replaced with Darlow and Cairns in particular, providing the necessary depth in the goalkeeping department.

READ MORE: Leeds United involved in ITV blunder as England beat Andorra at Villa Park

Illan Meslier looking sad at Leeds United

Meslier could become a free agent next year (Credit: Imago)

When does the rest of the squad's contracts expire?

Whilst Farke would likely not lose any sleep if any of the four previously mentioned players left, he would be concerned to lose some of the players whose contracts currently expire in 2027, with the most notable of those players being Ethan Ampadu.

Players whose contracts expire in 2027:

Ethan Ampadu
Joel Piroe
Pascal Struijk
Brenden Aaronson
Ilia Gruev
Lukas Nmecha

Players whose contracts expire in 2028:

Willy Gnonto
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Jack Harrison
Joe Rodon
Ao Tanaka
Jayden Bogle
Sam Chambers

Players whose contracts expire in 2029:

Sean Longstaff
Dan James
Anton Stach
Noah Okafor
James Justin
Lucas Perri
Gabriel Gudmundsson
Sebastiaan Bornauw

Players whose contracts expire in 2030:

Jaka Bijol

Whilst Leeds fans will be happy to see their new signings like Bijol and Stach on long-term contracts, they will not be naive enough to think this will be enough to keep players of their calibre if the Whites are relegated.

It does strengthen Leeds' negotiating position, however and ensures they could collect handsome fees if they were to be sold on.

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Illan Meslier