Marseille are reportedly considering a late move for Arsenal goalkeeper Illan Meslier before the summer transfer window closes, according to reports in France.
Meslier joined Arsenal on a free transfer last month after allowing his contract with Leeds United to run down, signing a two-year deal at the Emirates that ties him to the Gunners until June 2028. The 26-year-old, who made 215 appearances for Leeds across all competitions in six seasons at Elland Road, helped the club win promotion to the Premier League in both 2020 and 2025.
Lack of playing time
Meslier was frozen out of Leeds' squad by Daniel Farke last season and has not played competitive football since March 2025. After joining Arsenal, he was limited to substitute appearances against Girona, Real Betis and Borussia Dortmund in pre-season, with Kepa Arrizabalaga named on the bench in both the Community Shield and Friday's win over Coventry.
According to French publication Foot Mercato, Marseille have been alerted to the 'precarious situation' and are considering a move for Meslier before the deadline. The Ligue 1 outfit are looking to strengthen their goalkeeping options, with club officials working to identify solutions to provide cover for number one Jeffrey de Lange, who is currently the only senior goalkeeper in Bruno Genesio's first-team squad.
Marseille's interest
Marseille's management have picked out Meslier as one of their 'top targets' in this area, with the club said to be 'very impressed' by the shot-stopper's profile despite his lack of playing time over the last 12 months.
However, the report stresses that Marseille may first need to reduce the size of their squad to lower their wage bill before they can make a 'concrete offer' for Meslier.
Meslier's Arsenal ambition
After signing for Arsenal, a 'very proud' Meslier expressed his excitement about helping his new club win silverware. 'I'm extremely happy,' the former Leeds and Lorient man told the club's official website. 'It's a great day for me because I have just joined the champions. For me, Arsenal is the biggest club in England. I'm very happy and very proud to join Arsenal. I cannot wait to show the love that I've got for this badge, and I cannot wait to win trophies with this team, because this is a club that needs to lift trophies again and again.'
Arsenal have also strengthened their squad this summer by signing Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis and Ezri Konsa from Newcastle, Club Brugge and Aston Villa respectively. The Gunners activated their £35million option to sign Piero Hincapie permanently following his initial loan from Bayer Leverkusen, while Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior, Christian Norgaard and Karl Hein have all been allowed to leave.
