Illan Meslier has joined Leeds United on a permanent basis after spending the 2019-20 campaign on loan from French outfit Lorient, putting pen to paper on a three-year deal. [embedded content] The 20-year-old arrived at Elland Road last summer as a cover for Kiko Casilla, making his debut in the FA Cup third round tie against Arsenal in January. Meslier made his league debut away at Hull City in February after Casilla received an eight-game ban from the F.A for allegedly racially abusing Charlton Athletic forward Jonathan Leko last September, and he was in goal for Leeds’ last 10 games, keeping seven clean sheets and helping them seal Premier League promotion with his brilliant performances. The France youth international made 30 appearances in all competitions for Lori...
Argentine attacking midfielder Thiago Almada has been linked with a move to Leeds United recently. Apparently, he is one of the few players Bielsa is looking to bring to Elland Road this summer. The Whites recently secured automatic promotion to the Premier League after having won the Championship and they are already planning on how to improve their squad for the next season. Almada is highly rated in South America and he is a massive talent. If Leeds manage to sign him, it would be quite a coup for them. The 19-year-old can play as an attacking midfielder or a winger. He has been likened to Barcelona’s Lionel Messi because of his playing style. It will be interesting to see if Bielsa can lure him to England this summer. The player has recently been made aware of Leeds’ interest in him an...
Everton are interested in the Espanyol midfielder Marc Roca if reports are to be believed. As per Sport (via Sportwitness), the Merseyside outfit are keeping tabs on the player following Morgan Schneiderlin’s departure and Gbamin’s injury blow. It will be interesting to see if they make their move for Roca in the coming weeks. Espanyol have been relegated from La Liga and they will have to cash in on some of their players to balance the books. A reasonable offer might be enough to tempt them into selling the 23-year-old defensive midfielder. Despite relegation, Roca has been one of Espanyol’s best players this past season and he could be a good addition to Ancelotti’s midfield. He will add composure and defensive cover to the side. The 23-year-old is an excellent passer and his abilit...
Newcastle are keen on signing the Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic this summer. The 22-year-old is not a key player for Zinedine Zidane’s team and a loan move away from Bernabeu might be ideal for him right now. Newcastle are in desperate need of a top-class striker and the signing of Jovic could benefit all parties. Jovic would get to play regularly at a high level and Newcastle will be able to upgrade on Carroll/Joelinton as well. It will be interesting to see if the Magpies make their move for the Serbian in the coming weeks. As per Shields Gazette, a loan move for the former Bundesliga star is being considered by the club right now. It would be a major coup for Newcastle if they manage to pull this off. The Serbian was highly rated across Europe before his move to Real Madrid. If he can ...
West Ham United are expected to sign Tomas Soucek permanently at the end of this season. According to Evening Standard, the Hammers have an obligation to buy Soucek for around £19million from Slavia Prague if they stay up this season. West Ham are now mathematically safe from relegation and Soucek’s move should be finalised soon. Former West Ham star Frank McAvennie has now shared his thoughts on his former club signing Soucek on a permanent deal. McAvennie thinks he could prove to be a superb addition and it would be a bargain for the reported fee. He said to Football Insider: “It’s an absolute bargain. I would have already signed him by now. That last player to get in the box and score goals like that was Frank Lampard. “He is a big lad, I did not realise how big he w...
According to reports from The Sun, Leeds United have joined the race to sign QPR’s playmaker Eberechi Eze this summer. The Whites will play in the Premier League next season after securing promotion. Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani has said recently that they will be looking to bolster their squad this summer, but are likely to follow the model of Sheffield United rather than that of Aston Villa. The report claims that Leeds are keen to sign the in-form 22-year-old attacking midfielder, and are ready to outbid Spurs, West Ham and Crystal Palace for his signature. Marcelo Bielsa wants to bolster his attacking department and has earmarked the England Under-21 international as the creative spark for his team. Leeds were interested in signing Eze in January. At that time, the Whites to...
Leeds have been linked with the Argentine attacking midfielder Thiago Almada recently. We covered reports yesterday that Bielsa is looking to bring in a few Argentine players to strengthen his squad and Almada is one of them. The youngster is very highly rated and he is a prodigious talent. If Leeds manage to sign him, it would be quite a coup for them. Almada has been likened to a young Lionel Messi because of his technical ability and playing style. Someone like Marcelo Bielsa could be the ideal coach for him right now. The Leeds boss has a fantastic track record of improving players throughout his career and he could help Almada achieve his potential at Elland Road. A move to the Premier League would be a step up for the youngster right now and he is likely to be tempted. Furthermore, t...
Chelsea and Liverpool played out a thrilling eight-goal clash at Anfield last night, with eight different players getting on the score sheet as the hosts secured a 5-3 victory. The Premier League champions raced into a three-goal lead before Olivier Giroud grabbed the Blues’ first goal of the night on the stroke of half-time. Liverpool went 4-1 up nine minutes after play restarted but Christian Pulisic came off the bench to help the Blues score twice within 12 minutes. Chelsea continued to push for an equalizer but it never came, with the Reds hitting Frank Lampard’s side on a counter to grab their fifth goal of the night. The Blues will need at least a point against Wolverhampton Wanderers to seal Champions League qualification if Leicester City secure victory against Manchester United on...
According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, Leeds United have sealed a £5 million move to sign goalkeeper Illan Meslier from Lorient permanently on a three-year contract, and the deal is set to be sealed today. Meslier from Lorient to Leeds on a permanent will be done today. Three year deal. Fee in the region of £5m. #lufc — Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) July 23, 2020 The 20-year-old arrived at Elland Road on a season-long loan last summer and he featured in 10 Championship games as Leeds secured promotion to the Premier League following a 16-year wait. Kiko Casilla was first-choice goalkeeper for the majority of the campaign, but the Spaniard was handed an eight-game ban by the F.A in February for allegedly racially abusing Charlton Athletic forward Jonathan Leko last September, and that ...
Leicester and Wolves are keen on signing the Juventus defender Merih Demiral this summer. As per Nicolo Schira, the Italian giants have no intention of selling the talented defender and they have recently turned down an offer of around €30m plus add-ons for the player. With the likes of Chiellini and Bonucci in their 30s, Juventus will need someone to partner De Ligt at the heart of their defence for the next decade. Demiral could be that player for them. The 22-year-old Turkish defender is a massive talent and he has a big future ahead of him. It will be interesting to see if Leicester or Wolves make their move for the player. However, a transfer seems unlikely. Juventus are under no pressure to sell and the player is highly unlikely to demand a move to Wolves/Leicester. That said, b...
Aston Villa are interested in signing the Reading midfielder John Swift this summer. According to The Reading Chronicle, Dean Smith is keen on the player. Jack Grealish is expected to leave the club at the end of this season and Aston Villa need to sign a proper replacement. Swift has done well for Reading and he could be a decent alternative. Sheffield United are thought to be keen as well but Villa could hijack a move. Swift has six goals and ten assists to his name this season and he would be tempted to move to Aston Villa if they can stay up. Survival is in their own hands now and Villa just have to match Watford’s final day result. Even if Aston Villa go down, joining them would be a step up for the 25-year-old midfielder. The report claims that no official bid has been made yet. It r...
Steven Gerrard’s Rangers and Neil Lennon’s Celtic wanted to sign Jamie McDonnell, but the youngster is joining Nottingham Forest instead, according to BBC Sport. Celtic and West Bromwich Albion wanted to sign the central midfielder in the summer transfer window, according to the report. The 16-year-old also had trials at Rangers, FC Groningen and Sheffield United, adds the report. However, according to the report, the Northern Ireland Under-17 international is leaving Glentoran and has signed for Forest in the Championship this summer. One for the future McDonnell is a very talented and promising young player who is one for the future and is very highly rated indeed. The 16-year-old, a product of the ClubNI programme, is still very raw and is still developing as a footballer. It would take...