After failing to secure his services in January, Premier League champions Manchester City are ready to make a £60 million move for Leicester City ace Riyad Mahrez.
According to a report by The Sun, Manchester City are ready to launch a £60 million bid for Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez. The Algerian has emerged as one of Pep Guardiola’s top targets with the Catalan mastermind poised to make another spending spree this summer.
The Citizens had hoped to sign Mahrez earlier this year, but had to walk away from the deal due to Leicester’s valuation of the Algerian international. The Foxes were reportedly asking for £95 million in exchange for their star player in the January transfer window, which also included Patrick Roberts moving to Leicester as part of the deal – something that was deemed too expensive by Guardiola.
However, with his current contract expiring in a couple of years time, Manchester City are now hoping to sign Mahrez on a far more reasonable price this summer. In fact, the Premier League champions believe that they can grab the Algerian international for a fee of £60 million, which is a snip in today’s market, especially for a club like Manchester City.
Since his move to Leicester City in 2014, Mahrez has seen a massive rise in his stock, largely due to his fantastic performances in the 2015-16 season. The Algerian scored 17 goals and also chipped in with ten assists, ultimately helping his team pull off one of the biggest surprises in the history of football by winning the Premier League, while going on to win the PFA Player of the Year.
Mahrez has been on the radar of some of Europe’s biggest clubs in recent years with Manchester City, in particular, being linked with the Algerian for a considerable amount of time.
The Citizens may have been admirably clinical on their way to winning the Premier League title, finishing the season on 100 points. However, Guardiola has always been a man of perfection. If the campaign taught him something, it’s that he will always need to have quality backup at his disposal over the course of the season.
Injuries to Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero often left Guardiola short-handed in attack at different junctures of the season. Sane, Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva are, in fact, the only players who can be deployed in the wide areas, making the need to sign a quality winger an urgent one for Manchester City.
Therefore, the addition of Mahrez has rightly become imperative for Manchester City at the moment. The Algerian has already shown what he is capable of in the past, and his dynamic style of play is also perfectly suited to Guardiola’s tactical philosophy.
Manchester City won’t likely face any stiff competition in the race to sign Mahrez either, meaning a deal for the Leicester City ace is likely to be completed swiftly.
