Newcastle United are reportedly interested in signing Illan Meslier from Leeds United.
That is according to RMC Sport, who believe that the Magpies are one of three clubs chasing the French goalkeeper. The other two teams that are being linked are Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
RMC Sport claim that Eddie Howe’s side are following the 22-year-old very closely, while Bayern Munich are looking to replace the injured Manuel Neuer.
While talk of interest from the Bundesliga side makes sense, it is unclear why Newcastle are being linked.
Dan Ashworth brought in three goalkeepers last year. Nick Pope arrived from Burnley for £10million, while Jude Smith joined the youth setup. He has already trained with the first-team, however. Thirdly, Loris Karius came in after Karl Darlow’s injury early in the season.
Pope joined to become the club’s first choice stopper, and has proven to be a brilliant acquisition. He has kept 10 Premier League clean sheets this season, and produced some exceptional saves in Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal.
There is no reason for Newcastle to replace Pope, so talk of interest in Meslier is very strange. He does have age on his side, but Pope still has plenty of years left in him.
The Magpies have absolutely no need for Meslier right now, although he is a player who massively stood out on his last trip to Tyneside.
Illan Meslier was ‘perfect’ against Newcastle recently
Leeds took on Newcastle at St James’ Park on New Year’s Eve, and massively frustrated Howe’s side. They won a point on their trip to the North East, and that was largely down to Meslier’s heroics.
The former Lorient stopper produced some marvelous saves to deny Newcastle, ensuring he kept a clean sheet against a side that is competing for a place in next season’s Champions League.
Meslier received massive praise for his performance, with former goalkeeper Ben Foster claiming that he had the ‘perfect game‘ on his YouTube channel.
The Frenchman was involved in some controversy, however. Newcastle were not happy with Leeds’ gamesmanship, and tensions boiled over in stoppage time.
Meslier refused to deal with an extra ball that was on the pitch, causing Callum Wilson to get in his face. The Toon striker pushed Meslier, who fell to the ground in dramatic fashion. It then led to a bit of a brawl between both sides, with Bruno Guimaraes also getting in Meslier’s face as the referee lost complete control. Although some would argue he never had control all game.
But Meslier’s antics and ability won his side a point, and now it has led to interest from the Magpies. However, talk of a move for the Leeds ace certainly sounds farfetched.
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