Illan Meslier issues Leeds United exit claim amid Chelsea transfer links
Illan Meslier has refused to refute a Leeds United exit or a move to Chelsea this summer post the club’s relegation from the Premier League.
The Frenchman lost his place in the starting eleven to Joel Robles towards the end of the season but even that was not enough to keep the Whites in the league.
He has been linked with a number of big six clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United but it was the Blues who he namedropped in a recent interview.
Speaking to RMC Sport [11 June], he said, “For now, I have a contract until 2026. Officially, I still belong to Leeds. I will have to think about what could be the best project, be that at Leeds or another club.
“If it is to go and be on the bench, I’m not interested in that. If it’s to be the number one, of course, you can’t say ‘I’m not interested in Chelsea.’ I’d prefer to go to a less reputable club where I’ll have more game time than a top European club where I’d sit on the bench.”
Exit set?
This is Meslier all but confirming his intentions to leave the club for good as he perhaps did not take too well to being dropped.
He has been good for the past few years, but this season, things have gone south for him and he was deservedly dropped from the team.
If Leeds get a decent offer for him, selling him may not be the worst idea and they can either continue with Robles or bring in someone experienced to take over as the number one.
This will undoubtedly depend on who the new manager is and until that’s finalised and it’s hard to get clarity over anyone’s future.
Meslier seems to have the right attitude and fans will not be against it if he decides to stay but it still remains to be seen whether or not he has a future at Elland Road.
Hopefully, in the coming days, a new sporting director will be put into place and things will get interesting from there.
In other Leeds United news, a BBC pundit has been left stunned as Phil Hay has dropped a fresh update on who the Whites are considering to bring in as manager this summer.