Leeds United brought Lorient’s Illan Meslier to Elland Road in the summer but Kiko Casilla remains Marcelo Bielsa’s number one for the Championship.
Leeds United have the option to sign on-loan Lorient goalkeeper Illan Meslier for a £5 million fee in the summer, according to Ouest France.
Few outside of France had heard of this 19-year-old shot-stopper before he made a surprise move to West Yorkshire over the summer and, some eight months on, Meslier still remains a mystery to many.
Despite the rather erratic form of Kiko Casilla, the highly-rated Frenchman is yet to make his Championship bow for Leeds with his only action so far coming in the 1-0 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal in January.
Meslier showcased his considerable talents against Premier League opposition however, commanding his area with the sort of confidence that Casilla, a Spain international and Champions League winner with Real Madrid, has not always displayed since moving to England last year.
And with Leeds given the option to sign Meslier permanently for a fee of £5 million, a relative bargain in today’s market, the France U20 international looks set for a bright future at Elland Road.
Interestingly, Ouest France reports that Leeds will invoke a compulsory obligation-to-buy clause if they secure promotion to the Premier League in the spring – or once Meslier has played ten games for the Yorkshire giants.
With a lengthy ban hanging over Casilla, as reported by the BBC, there is still a chance that Meslier could reach that number by the season’s end.
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