Leeds United will not be getting a fee for Illan Meslier’s Elland Road exit, which is a bit of a travesty when considering how much he was previously worth.
Paraag Marathe’s end-of-season statement outlined that Leeds will be looking to cash in on certain assets during the upcoming summer window.
To me, that’s been a key area of weakness of Leeds’ since our previous promotion under Marcelo Bielsa. The club must improve at selling assets when the time is right.
Leeds United set to lose Illan Meslier for free despite previous lofty valuation
Back in 2021, Illan Meslier had just finished his first season in the Premier League. In the process, he broke records as a youngster between the sticks with his 11 clean sheets in 35 league games.
That summer, as he ultimately penned a new deal until 2026, Meslier was being linked with some of Europe’s elite. Leeds even rejected a bid from PSG for the Frenchman. And, that summer was the last we really saw of him being touted for such an exit.
Tough campaigns in goal for Meslier, as Leeds’ overall form completely collapsed, shattered his confidence to bits.
He’s since been replaced as first choice initially by Karl Darlow, then Lucas Perri, and then Darlow again in the past 14 months. Now, his contract is due to expire at the end of this month, and it’s been a foregone conclusion that he leaves for free.
Sevilla and Besiktas have already been linked with signing him upon his contract expiry.
Sunderland set £8m Anthony Patterson asking price as Leeds United regret Illan Meslier blunder
With Leeds looking to maximise transfer value for outbound players, Meslier leaving for nothing represents a missed opportunity.
Elsewhere, Sunderland are proving that Leeds have made a big mistake not being able to get any fee for Meslier.
Sky Sports are reporting that the Black Cats are commanding a whopping £8million for fringe goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.
Patterson, 26, spent the second half of this season on loan at Millwall, having helped Sunderland to playoff glory previously. Now, as Regis Le Bris plans for Europa League football, Sunderland are hoping to get £8million for Patterson.
It’s a remarkable asking price, and fair enough to the Black Cats if they eke that much value out of a Championship-level stopper. However, it shows Leeds what’s gone wrong that we can’t get anything for Meslier.
The 49ers will hopefully be able to demonstrate their quality in negotiation with other players, though. Staying up allows us a stronger position in exit discussions, one would imagine.
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