Report details impact that Lorient promotion has on Leeds chances of £5m Meslier deal
After the football season in France was declared over, Lorient were awarded the Ligue 2 title and therefore promotion into Ligue 1.
Illan Meslier is currently a Lorient player who is on loan at Leeds United and the Whites are widely reported to be keen on a permanent deal for the 20-year-old goalkeeper once his temporary contract expires.
But with Lorient now a Ligue 1 club, it raises questions about whether Meslier still has a future at Elland Road or whether he’ll return to France to play for his parent club.
Luckily for Leeds fans, The Telegraph has reported that even though Lorient have been handed promotion, they will struggle to keep hold of the French shot-stopper once his loan spell in West Yorkshire ends.
It is understood that Leeds are keen to sign the goalkeeper with Marcelo Bielsa keen to have him in his plans for next season.
The Whites can sign Meslier in a deal worth £5million but it is suggested that the young shot-stopper is attracting attention from Premier League clubs with one line in the Telegraph article saying: “The France Under-20 goalkeeper looks likely to be heading to a Premier League club.”
We hope that Premier League club is Leeds because firstly, it means the Whites will have finally won promotion from the Championship and secondly, Meslier is a very good young goalkeeper.
He’s only played three times for Leeds but he has done well in each of those appearances as he stood firm in the 1-0 defeat away at Arsenal before keeping clean sheets in wins over Hull and Huddersfield.
Once Kiko Casilla’s ban is over, we hope that Meslier is Bielsa’ choice to start in goals based on what we have seen from him so far.
In other Leeds United news, Paul Robinson has been raving about a “top” player who was previously wanted by the Whites.