Leeds United goalkeeper Kiko Casilla is hoping to complete a permanent exit away from Elland Road, Leeds Live report.

The Lowdown: Casilla’s season so far…

Casilla, who Marcelo Bielsa described as ‘important’ in his role as deputy to Illan Meslier, is still under contract with the Whites for another 18 months.

He joined La Liga side Elche on loan over the summer and has started all 12 league fixtures so far this season, conceding 15 times and keeping three clean sheets.

Noel Whelan labelled Casilla as ‘fantastic’ during his early days in Yorkshire, however, it doesn’t look as if he’ll add to his 62 Leeds appearances, with Meslier cementing his place as first choice over the last 18 months.

The Latest: Casilla’s comments

Leeds Live cited the goalkeeper’s comments to Mundo Deportivo on Saturday morning, with the Spaniard admitting it will be difficult to see out the final 12 months of his deal in Yorkshire.

"It will be difficult for me to fulfil the year I have left. When I left there it was because of that, because my time there is over.

"I think I will not have problems with the club because they behaved very well with me, because I asked to leave and they never put any impediment on me, they gave me all the facilities to leave.

"When you have a bad time there, and I have been through it a lot, in the end what you want is to leave, and I have been able to leave."

The Verdict: Over to Orta…

You’d expect director of football Victor Orta would be the man to grant Casilla’s request of a permanent exit, and it seems as one would make sense for all involved.

Casilla’s contract at Leeds is worth £40,000-a-week, compared to Meslier’s deal worth £22,000-a-week, so moving on the former for good would benefit the club financially.

It appears as if Leeds don’t need Casilla’s services either, especially after they brought in Kristoffer Klaesson as back up to Meslier over the summer.

So, the quicker Leeds can get Casilla off the books, the better.

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