Journalist: Marseille have no chance of signing Meslier

Illan Meslier is starting to turn heads and the young Leeds United keeper was brought up in a recent debate about Olympique Marseille. 

In a report on Football Club De Marseille it was said that the French club is looking for a young keeper who 35-year-old Marseille stopper Steve Mandanda can mentor as his replacement.

It was claimed that Meslier ticks all the boxes apart from one... that Leeds won't countenance selling him.

Journalist Nicolas Filhol said that if anyone was going to take Meslier from Leeds it would be a big English club.

He said, "You have to forget Meslier.

"The guy is really having a good season in the Premier League.

"If anyone is going to take him from Leeds it will be a big English club and it will not be Olympique Marseille."

Huge potential

Leeds' transfer business has picked up dramatically since Marcelo Bielsa arrived at Leeds. Victor Orta's record before that was a bit scattergun.

There are two ways of looking at this.

Firstly, Bielsa has helped identify better targets.

Secondly, Bielsa is able to make any player better with his coaching.

It could be a little from A and a little from B, but in Meslier, Leeds seem to have stumbled into another absolute bargain.

£5m for an impressive Premier League keeper is an absolute snip in today's market and we can see him being a full senior France international in the coming years.

If and when Leeds do sell him it will be for a lot, lot more than £5m.

And, the fact that a side that competed in the Champions League this season has no chance of signing one of our players shows how far we've come under Bielsa.

In other Leeds United news: Phil Hay delivers significant Leeds-Alioski contract update