Illan Meslier

Two months after joining, Meslier is already wanted by Marseille

Illan Meslier joined Arsenal on a free transfer in July, after his Leeds contract expired. Two months on he is third choice: David Raya started the league opener against Coventry, Kepa was on the bench, and the Frenchman was not used. Marseille, who need to replace Gerónimo Rulli after his move to Manchester City, have made enquiries about him in the closing days of the window.

Latest development

1. 3 September — File cooled. The French window shut at 19:59 on 1 September and Marseille never turned their interest into a negotiation, having failed to cut their wage bill first. Nothing more can happen before January. Illan Meslier stays at Arsenal as third-choice keeper behind Raya and Kepa.

   2 September — The window closed with no move. The French market shut on 1 September at 19:59, the English one shortly after, and no club announced Illan Meslier. Marseille never turned their interest into a negotiation, having failed to cut the wage bill they had to cut first. The Frenchman stays at Arsenal behind Raya and Kepa, last in a hierarchy now down to three after Setford's loan. Nothing more can happen on this file before January.

   1 September (evening): nothing new on the Marseille route. No source has picked the story back up since 28 August, no contact between Arsenal and OM has been reported, and the French club have not trimmed the wage bill they needed to trim to put anything together. The goalkeeper stays third choice behind Raya and Kepa, and the entry stays at the lowest honest level until somebody revives it.

2. 30/08the trail exists, it depends on something else.

   Marseille are looking for a goalkeeper after selling Gerónimo Rulli to Manchester City and are working on the possibility of a loan for Illan Meslier, who joined Arsenal on a free seven weeks ago to be third choice behind Raya and Kepa. The condition sits in Marseille, not London: OM must first trim their wage bill through a few exits. No formal negotiation between the clubs is reported.

   Entry opened on 28/08 (morning), on a report dated 27 August. Santi Aouna (Foot Mercato) writes that Marseille's board have made Illan Meslier one of their priority goalkeeping targets, to support Jeffrey de Lange. The report was picked up straight away by ArsenalNews, The Hard Tackle, Foot01 and several other French and English outlets.

   What is established: Marseille's interest exists and is dated, and the context makes it logical on both sides — Marseille have lost Rulli, and Meslier is not playing.

   What is not established, and it is a lot: the nature of the move is unspecified, no contact between Arsenal and Marseille has been reported, and Marseille must trim their squad before they can put any package together. Above all, no top-tier source — not Ornstein, not Romano, not Sky — has picked the story up. So we open the entry at the lowest level that stays honest: INTEREST, ONE TO WATCH. It will only move on a serious confirmation, and there are four days left.