Reports have emerged indicating that Real Madrid is considering the possibility of recruiting Illan Meslier, the goalkeeper from Leeds United, to fill in for the injured Thibaut Courtois.
As the 23/24 season rapidly approaches, Real Madrid received a setback with the announcement that Courtois is poised to miss a significant portion of the campaign due to an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury.
In a social media post on Thursday, Courtois expressed his feelings: “You never expect to go through something like this but now it’s time to accept it and do everything to overcome it and come back even stronger.”
“Thank you all for the energy, love and encouragement, I assure you that they motivate me to recover as soon as possible.”
Since the news of Courtois’ injury, Madrid have been linked with a host of different goalkeepers including former Manchester United number one David de Gea.
However, according to Spanish news outletSPORT, the La Liga giants are eyeing a move for Leeds’ Meslier to replace Courtois.
Despite being recognized as one of the premier talents in Europe, Meslier faced significant scrutiny during the 22/23 season, a period marked by Leeds’ relegation to the second tier of English football.
Leeds endured a challenging campaign, concluding in 19th position with a goal difference of -30, cementing their position as the team with the poorest defensive record in the league.
Following a series of mistakes, Meslier found himself replaced by Joel Robles when Sam Allardyce assumed managerial duties towards the latter part of the season.
Subsequent to their relegation, Robles departed Leeds, opting to join Saudi Arabian second-tier outfit Al Qadsiah FC. As a result, Meslier regained his status as the primary goalkeeper under the guidance of new manager Daniel Farke.
Leeds commenced their 23/24 Championship season with an exhilarating 2-2 draw against Cardiff City and are scheduled to compete once again on Saturday, facing off against Birmingham City.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s current backup goalkeeper, Andriy Lunin, is anticipated to take the starting position as Los Blancos go head-to-head against Athletic Club Bilbao on Saturday.