Leeds star’s agent ‘holds talks’ over beat-the-deadline transfer with immediate Elland Road exit ON – report | OneFootball

Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier could be set for a move away from Elland Road this week after a journalist revealed talks had been held over a surprise transfer to Turkey – while sources can confirm that the club in question have only turned to the Frenchman after failing to land one of his teammates.

The £5.1m goalkeeper signing from Lorient is nearing the end of his eventful time at Leeds United. Brought in the days of Marcelo Bielsa and a stalwart of more than 200 games for the Whites, Meslier has not made a senior appearance for the club since he was axed from the side by Daniel Farke last March.

After close to a year of inactivity, you would expect Meslier to be champing at the bit to secure a move away and resurrect his faltering career.

But as he approaches free agency status, sources can reveal that the Frenchman will not be short of offers and will have plenty of options to choose from over where to resume his career, with clubs in Italy, France and Scotland all looking into his signing.

However, it has now emerged that Meslier – currently Leeds United’s third-choice keeper behind Karl Darlow and Lucas Perri – could get a surprise chance to leave Elland Road this week.

And even though the British transfer window has now closed, it remains open in certain countries around Europe and one of those still actively seeking new recruits is in Turkey.

Now, per Turkish journalist, Yagiz Sabuncuoglu, Besiktas have ‘held a meeting’ with Meslier’s representatives to discuss the prospect of an immediate move to Istanbul.

The Super Lig side are keen to sign a new keeper and have met with Meslier’s camp to try and work out his financial demands.

And the chances of the move have been aided by Leeds’ willingness to let the 25-year-old leave for a nominal fee, given his deal at Elland Road is due to expire in just short of five months’ time.

Meslier has options, while Besiktas also wanted second Leeds star

We previously understood that Meslier was expected to wait until the summer to negotiate his next move, believing his free agency status would alllow him more freedom to secure a better deal, so it remains to be seen if a move to Besiktas is something that could be considered now.

In addition to the Turkish side, both his former side Lorient, Scottish giants Celtic and Inter Milan – though the latter only seeing the player as competition for a new No.1 next season – are also in competition for Meslier’s signature. However, all three of those sides would now need to wait until July 1 when they can land the keeper as a free agent.

By acting now, Besiktas believe they stand the best chance possible of landing the Frenchman, who clearly needs a fresh start after a forgettable end to his Leeds career.

Leeds, for their part, have not been in a hurry to push him out the door. While he has only been on the fringes of the first-team squad, the player has regularly still attended Elland Road on matchdays and offered his support to his teammates out on the park. Farke has regularly praised his attitude and the fact he’s shown no signs of sulking at his situation has pleased the Leeds coaching team.

In the meantime, Besiktas’ move for Meslier comes after the Turkish side also saw a move for Perri immediately rejected by Leeds last week.

The Brazilian goalkeeper – a £13.9m (€15m) signing from Lyon over the summer – recently lost his place in the Leeds XI, when he was dropped in place of Darlow and after coming under fire from Farke.

However, the Whites were in no mood to turn their back on Perri quite yet, with sources confirming the club waved away an enquiry from Besiktas last week when they asked if Leeds would be open to his sale.

Leeds latest: Raid on Man Utd for teenage talent; three summer targets identified

Meanwhile, Leeds United were ultimately happy not to push harder to seal the Jorgen Strand Larsen signing on transfer deadline day despite protestations from the fanbase, and with the club now hoping to make three major summer signings instead, we can reveal.

The Whites tabled an offer worth £39m for the Norwegian striker, which would have been a new club record, but that wasn’t enough to trump Crystal Palace, who ended up paying a whopping £48m package.

Following confirmation of the transfer, the 25-year-old revealed his ambitions at Selhurst Park and shared why he was happy to sign.

Elsewhere, Leeds United are understood to have beaten the transfer deadline to bring in a Manchester United youth prospect in a move which could ultimately save 49ers Enterprises millions, while the Red Devils have confirmed the departures of four other young stars who have all been sent out on loan.