Last summer, Illan Meslier was strongly linked with the exit door at Leeds United and The Whites were being linked with a number of goalkeepers to replace him.
But the Frenchman ended up staying after refusing to comment on rumours for a while after the club’s relegation to The Championship. That is despite some interest from La Liga side Celta Vigo last summer.
Meslier has since stayed put at Elland Road and won the Championship’s golden glove with 19 clean sheets, even if he has had his critics along the way, keeping another two clean sheets in the play-offs.
But failure to secure relegation this season, twinned with the club’s need to sell players amid reports of the club owing £190m in player transfers, Meslier could be one of the players The 49ers are willing to sell.
If that is the case, then Leeds need a contingency list of possible additions between the sticks. Fulham might have just handed The 49ers with the perfect replacement, by releasing a 27-year-old goalkeeper.
Fulham release perfect Illan Meslier replacement on a free
Fulham released their retained list on Wednesday and it has seen the Cottagers opt to release Marek Rodak, 11 years after the Slovakia stopper joined Fulham and playing just 93 games in that time.
Of those 93 games, 74 came in the 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons in which Fulham gained promotion from The Championship to The Premier League under Scott Parker, since being Bernd Leno’s back-up.
Rodak is a goalkeeper with 21 international caps, Premier League and Championship experience, and the know how of winning England’s second tier. He would be a very smart signing on a free transfer.
Leeds held internal discussions to sign Rodak next summer
Reports claimed last summer that Leeds had spoke about signing Rodak from Fulham in case Meslier decided to leave Yorkshire but instead, The Whites bought Karl Darlow from Newcastle United.
Now available on a free, it might be that Leeds choose to bring in Rodak and let the Slovakian fight it out with Darlow for the no.1 spot and allow The 49ers to rake in a bit of cash for Meslier this summer.
Meslier might still get Leeds a fee above £15m to the right buyer, while Rodak and Darlow are still very adept goalkeepers at this level. But it all depends whether there is any interest in the former Lorient man.