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Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier was linked to Real Madrid and Barcelona earlier in his career, as covered by today’s edition of Sport.

The Whites initially signed the 24-year-old from FC Lorient in 2019 and made his stay permanent in 2020.

He’s been a regular for Leeds over recent years, and the links with Real Madrid and Barcelona came during and after his debut season at Elland Road.

Sport state the stopper had to experience this when he was settling into English football and with France’s youth teams.

The report suggests the 24-year-old failed to meet expectations and also became a victim of ‘media pressure’.

He’s now trying to reverse the situation and recover the best version that saw him draw the attention of Real Madrid, Barcelona and other clubs.

The goalkeeper is regaining confidence to be the player that former Leeds coach Marcelo Bielsa fell in love with. He’s impressed for Daniel Farke’s side this season, keeping 17 clean sheets and conceding 30 goals from 38 games so far.

Meslier was one of the most exciting prospects four years ago. With his fine form for Leeds United this season, Sport suggest the top European clubs could take him into account again.