Marseille Eye Late Move for Arsenal's Illan Meslier

Marseille are circling around Illan Meslier, sensing opportunity where Arsenal see depth.

The Ligue 1 club are weighing up a late swoop for the French goalkeeper before the summer window closes, according to reports in France, after his fresh start in north London stalled almost as soon as it began.

Meslier allowed his deal at Leeds United to expire and walked away from Elland Road on a free earlier this summer, landing what looked like a major upgrade: a move to Premier League champions Arsenal. He signed a two-year contract at the Emirates, keeping him with the Gunners until June 2028, and arrived as back-up to David Raya.

On paper, it was a reward for six demanding seasons at Leeds. Meslier amassed 215 appearances in all competitions, anchoring the side through promotion campaigns to the Premier League in 2020 and again in 2025. He was a constant presence in a club that lurched between divisions and managers.

Then everything stopped.

Daniel Farke froze him out of the squad last season. Meslier has not played a single competitive minute since March 2025, a brutal gap for a 26-year-old goalkeeper entering what should be his prime.

Arsenal offered a reset, but the reality has been unforgiving. Meslier featured only as a substitute in pre-season friendlies against Girona, Real Betis and Borussia Dortmund. When the matches started to matter, he slipped further down the pecking order: Kepa Arrizabalaga, not Meslier, took the place on the bench for both the Community Shield and Friday’s league win over Coventry.

That is the “precarious situation” Marseille have spotted.

Foot Mercato report that the French side are exploring a move for Meslier as they scramble to reinforce their goalkeeping department before the deadline. Behind the scenes, club officials are working through options to bring in proper cover for first-choice Jeffrey de Lange.

Right now, De Lange stands alone as the only senior goalkeeper in Bruno Genesio’s squad. The two others on the books, Jelle Van Neck and Theo Vermot, have yet to make a single first-team appearance for the club. It is a thin line of defence for a club with Champions League ambitions and a demanding fanbase.

Meslier has emerged as one of Marseille’s “top targets” for the role. The hierarchy are said to be “very impressed” by his profile, despite his year-long absence from competitive action. They see a keeper with Premier League experience, promotion pedigree and age on his side, sitting idle on Arsenal’s bench.

There is a catch.

The same reports stress that Marseille may have to trim their squad and cut the wage bill before they can lodge a concrete offer. Outgoings will likely have to fund any move for Meslier, turning this into a late-window balancing act rather than a straightforward raid on the English champions.

For Meslier, the interest comes just weeks after he spoke with obvious pride about joining Arsenal. The former Leeds and Lorient man called it “a great day” when he signed, describing Arsenal as “the biggest club in England” and declaring himself “very happy and very proud” to wear the badge. He talked about winning trophies “again and again” with Mikel Arteta’s side and about proving his love for the club on the pitch.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have been busy reshaping a title-winning squad. Alongside Meslier, they have brought in Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis and Ezri Konsa, and turned Piero Hincapie’s loan from Bayer Leverkusen into a permanent £35million deal. At the same time, Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior, Christian Norgaard and Karl Hein have all been allowed to leave.

That level of competition and churn makes life even tougher for a new goalkeeper trying to climb the hierarchy.

So Meslier waits. Marseille watch. Arsenal juggle their options.

If Marseille manage to clear space and push through a deal, the Frenchman could swap a back-up role in north London for a fight to become number one on home soil. If they cannot, he faces the prospect of another season spent in the shadows, chasing minutes behind Raya and Kepa.

For a 26-year-old with 215 senior games behind him, how long does patience last?