Is it time for Riyad Mahrez to leave Leicester City?
The headlines from the 2018 January transfer window were dominated by one man – Riyad Mahrez. Manchester City’s very public pursuit of the Algerian ended in relative disarray as City weren’t prepared to pay the asking price and Mahrez went AWOL in protest at the Leicester City’s refusal to sell him.
Fast forward 4 months and both parties look to have moved on. Manchester City continue to break records in their double winning season whilst Mahrez has enjoyed a renaissance at the King Power for the Foxes.
But as the summer transfer window looms it seems inevitable he will be leaving Leicester this summer (1/6 to leave the club with Coral).
Still one of the best players in the Premier League, where will Mahrez end up:
Put the past behind
Manchester City have had a remarkable season. A win at Southampton this weekend will see them register 100 points – a Premier League record. Pep Guardiola has long spoken of his admiration of Mahrez – who would undoubtedly fit into City’s swashbuckling system. The only question mark is whether the clubs can reach an agreement this summer, after failing to do so publically in January. Mahrez is Evens with Bet Victor to be playing for Manchester City next season.
Domestic Appeal
Having won the PFA Player of the Year award in 2016, the Premier League fraternity have long been aware of Riyad Mahrez’s talents, meaning there is a long list of options for the Algerian in England. Liverpool have a Champions League final to look forward to and would welcome Mahrez’s creativity with open arms. He is 5/1 with Coral to end up at Anfield next term. The managerial situation at Arsenal is yet to be resolved but whoever comes in will want to bolster the squad and Mahrez would be a hit with the fans in North London. He is currently 10/1 with Bet Victor sign for Arsenal in the summer. N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater have switched from Leicester to Chelsea with varying degrees of success – Mahrez is currently 14/1 with 888 Sport to follow his former team mates to West London.
European Interest
Despite making his name in English football, Mahrez is a hot property on the continent and will surely have a long list of potential suitors should he choose to leave English shores. Bayern Munich have ruled the roost in Germany once more and are 10/1 with BetVictor to claim his signature. AS Roma were very strongly linked with Mahrez throughout the summer of 2017 and their stock has risen somewhat with their impressive performance in the Champions League. At 20/1 with BetVictor it looks unlikely at this stage – but with Riyad Mahrez who knows?
Wherever he ends up Riyad Mahrez is sure to be a huge asset, with his wizardry on the ball and quick feet he will continue to terrorise defences across the continent.