Manchester United are looking at Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier again, a report has surprisingly claimed before explaining what a move would mean for Andre Onana.
Meslier has been on Man Utd’s radar before, but there have been questions marks over him at Leeds this season. Nevertheless, Man Utd may be back in for the Frenchman – and potentially even as early as January.
Man Utd‘s interest in Meslier is being led by their goalkeeper scout, Tony Coton, who is also looking at options like John Victor at Botafogo.
The information comes from The Sun, which claims Coton has been regularly watching Meslier in action for Leeds and still believes the 24-year-old has big long-term potential.
Man Utd are active in the goalkeeper market because they want someone to push current no.1 Onana – who doesn’t seem to be in danger of being sold just yet but might face stronger competition for his place soon.
After all, current backup Altay Bayindir has struggled to convince and could be let go in January if interest emerges – something Fabrizio Romano has also reiterated – which would open up a spot for them to fill with someone like Meslier or John to keep Onana on his toes more.
Ideally, though, Man Utd want to wait until the summer to make those changes in net. All will depend on whether Bayindir leaves in January.
READ MORE: Amorim takes action to help Man Utd unearth next Cristiano Ronaldo after numerous transfer misses
Are Leeds open to Meslier sale?
Meslier is only under contract with Leeds until the end of next season, so 2025 could be a big year in terms of determining his future.
TEAMtalk recently learned that Leeds would be unlikely to let Meslier go in January, but that the player himself might be tempted to join a club competing in Europe.
So far, he has attracted interest from Rennes, who have an uphill battle on their hands to meet that requirement ahead of next season.
If Leeds fail to secure promotion by the end of the season, Meslier could seek an escape then – which may play into Man Utd’s potential transfer timeline.
However, transfers between the two rivals are rare; the last player to go from Leeds to Man Utd was Alan Smith in 2004.
Man Utd transfer roundup
One transfer that is far closer to completion for Man Utd is a deal for Paraguayan left-back Diego Leon.
According to Romano, documents have been signed for Leon to arrive at Man Utd from Cerro Porteno, with the costs of the deal coming to light.
Negotiations have been overseen by Jason Wilcox and Leon will subsequently join Man Utd when he turns 18.
Meanwhile, all eyes are on whether Marcus Rashford will leave in January after being left out of the squad for the third time in a row.
Gary Neville has dropped his prediction over the forward’s future, after three Saudi clubs reportedly showed an interest in the 27-year-old.
