Leeds United’s Illan Meslier has a lot of Premier League clubs interested in him, according to Phil Hay.
It is quite something and certainly a testament to Meslier’s ability that he is, Leeds’ No 1 in the Premier League for what will be a third season now, managing to keep 16 clean sheets in the process, all at the age of 22.
However, this level of performance brings about interest from bigger clubs, and as long as Leeds fail to match players’ expectations and growth, just like with Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, that may only grow – and Hay believes that a load of Premier League clubs hold an interest in Meslier.
Interest in Meslier from someone such as Tottenham Hotspur, who may see him as a long-term Hugo Lloris replacement, was discussed on The Phil Hay Show.
He said: “There is loads and loads of interest in Meslier. I do feel like he’s going to be one of Leeds’ most important and probably best players this season.
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“Tottenham are a side who are particularly interested in Meslier, and obviously at some point, the goalkeeping situation is going to change there.”
TIF Thoughts on Meslier and his Leeds future…
Given Meslier’s age, the fact he’s a Premier League No 1 and has a contract until at least the summer of 2026, if Leeds were to sell their shot-stopper in the near future, they would likely turn a major profit on the £6m they paid Lorient back in 2020.
Hay mentioning that Spurs are interested in Meslier makes a lot of sense given that their current keeper is France captain Lloris, so Meslier would perhaps like the task of replacing someone he likely looked up to while growing up.
However, as things stand, Lloris has a contract until 2024 and is the club’s captain, so doesn’t appear to be nearing the exit door in the immediate future. Therefore, Leeds fans can be confident Meslier will still be at Elland Road for at least one more season.