Who is Marek Rodak? Leeds United transfer 'target' profiled amid Illan Meslier interest

The rumour mill is in full swing around Leeds United in this summer's transfer window and manager Daniel Farke has a lot of business to sort out as his side try and chase promotion back to the Premier League for the second season running.

Having been named favourites to go and win the Championship already in this upcoming season, Farke will need to see more of what Leeds showed throughout the early parts of 2024 and far less of what plagued them towards the end of the campaign. But the Whites boss will need to keep at least some of his key players in order to go one better than last season and that may be more difficult than many imagined.

Interest in a range of Leeds players from Premier League clubs has led to reports around numerous departures for the likes of Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto but one star's exit also on the cards is that of goalkeeper Illan Meslier. Despite getting a share of the Championship Golden Glove last season, and having three seasons of Premier League experience under his belt, the 24-year-old is believed to be keen to leave the Whites this summer in favour of a move to Ligue 1 outfit Marseille.

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A report from French outlet La Provence claims Meslier is in "contact" with Marseille but manager Farke has repeatedly highlighted his belief that the French youth international is the 'best' shot-stopper in England not playing in the Premier League. Following their 1-0 win over eventual champions Leicester City in November last year, he claimed: "His potential [is brilliant] without any doubt. He can be any goalkeeper at one point.

"[He's] unbelievably young and it's important for him to play with confidence. He has the skills to play out from the back, but he needs confidence for this, but his potential is outstanding. A diamond like him has to be backed. Young goalkeepers will make mistakes, but this has to be expected. He is the best goalkeeper in the league."

However, it's unclear whether Farke will get his way in keeping the star who may force a move, leading to reports now suggesting Leeds hold interest in out-of-favour Fulham goalkeeper Marek Rodak as a potential replacement. So with that being said, here's Rodak profiled...

Background

The goalkeeper began his career in his home country of Slovakia, joining MFK Košice in 2013 before getting a trial at Fulham and joining their academy in July that year at 16. He immediately impressed and was selected for the club's Under-18 fixtures on a regular basis, becoming their first choice and a vital part of the side that claimed their second successive Barclays Premier League title while simultaneously reaching the Final of the FA Cup Youth Cup for the first time in 2014.

The season after, he spent two months on loan at Farnborough before moving up into Fulham's Under-21s squad, a move which saw him then join Welling United in January 2016 on a half-season loan. He would then spend the second half of the 2016/17 season on loan at Accrington Stanley, helping them reach a mid-table finish having joined whilst they were deep in the relegation zone.

Rodak made his Fulham debut in the Carabao Cup in 2017 before a two-season loan stint at Rotherham United saw him help them gain promotion from League One to the Championship via a 2-1 play-off win over Shrewsbury Town at Wembley. Since then, he's managed to help Fulham gain promotion to the Premier League twice, but has found himself as the backup to both Alphonse Areola and Bernd Leno in recent seasons.

Also a regular in the Slovakia national team, Rodak has a distinction that marks him different to other goalkeepers having actually scored more than one goal in his career. The first came for Fulham in an Under-21s Premier League match against Aston Villa in 2014, with the second being a 94th-minute winner for Slovakia's Under-21s in 2018 in the Under-21s European Championships Qualifiers over Iceland.

He has made 22 appearances for the senior team since then, and is now part of their 26-man Euro 2024 squad having led them through the Group Stage and into the Round of 16 for just the second time in their history, as they face England today.