Championship club Birmingham City wanted to sign former Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier before Arsenal swooped in.
Meslier is available as a free agent having left Leeds at the end of June upon the expiration of his contract.
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Arsenal-bound
And the 26-year-old Frenchman is now poised to join the Premier League champions, with talkSPORT understanding a deal has been agreed.
According to the Daily Mail, Birmingham wanted to make Meslier their new No.1 but were unable to match the terms of Arsenal’s offer.
Meslier has been at the Gunners’ training prior to signing a contract with Mikel Arteta’s side.
He joined Leeds from hometown club Lorient in 2019, initially on loan, and went on to make 215 appearances for the Whites having joined permanently a year later.
Having been No.1 at Elland Road for five-and-a-half seasons, winning promotion to the Premier League in 2020 and 2024/25, a series of errors meant he eventually lost his place to Lucas Perri and later Karl Darlow last term – and he didn’t play a single game for Leeds in any competition.
Leeds made Meslier the man he is today
But Meslier retains a strong fondness for Leeds, as he showed in an Instagram post following his departure.
“I just wanted to take a moment to send this farewell message to every single Leeds United fan,” he wrote.
“When I arrived at this club as a 19-year-old kid, I had no idea what was ahead of me. What I found was a club like no other, a fanbase with a passion that is truly unmatched, and a place that has shaped me into the goalkeeper and the man I am today.”
Meslier is set to serve as back-up to Premier League Golden Glove winner David Raya at Arsenal, with talkSPORT understanding the Gunners’ current second-choice keeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, is on his way out of the Emirates Stadium.
Assuming the deal goes through, Meslier will become Arsenal’s second signing of the current transfer window.
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The Gunners have already exercised their option to make defender Piero Hincapie’s loan switch from Bayer Leverkusen permanent.
Gunners aiming to go back-to-back
Arsenal will be looking to bolster their squad as they aim to retain their first Premier League in 22 years.
Speaking after their Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, Arteta vowed that the club would be ‘very, very ambitious’ in the transfer market.
Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa and PSG forward Bradley Barcola are among the names who have been linked with summer moves to the Emirates.
Arteta’s side begin the new campaign with the customary curtain-raiser, the Community Shield, against FA Cup winners Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday August 16.
They’ll then be in action in the opening Premier League game of 2026/27 at home to newly promoted Coventry City five days later.
Before then, Arsenal have pre-season friendlies scheduled against Girona, Real Betis, Borussia Dortmund and Como.
