Riyad Mahrez is the latest Manchester City star to have popped up on the radar of Barcelona, who are reportedly considering a summer move for the 30-year-old.
According to Catalunya Radio journalist Tot Costa, Manchester City are ready to part ways with a number of star players in the summer transfer window. One of these players is Riyad Mahrez, who has now emerged as a potential target for Barcelona, although a deal might not see the light of the day.
Mahrez joined Manchester City from Leicester City in the summer of 2018 and has since gone on to consolidate his standing as one of the most enterprising forwards in the Premier League. While he did take his time to get going, the Algerian international has proven to be a critical figure for the Citizens over the last couple of season.
To date, Mahrez has turned out 142 times for the Premier League champions while amassing a tally of 39 goals and 37 assists. However, heading into the summer transfer window, there have been a lot of contradictory rumours surrounding the 30-year-old attacker, who, according to Tot Costa, is surplus to requirements at Manchester City, with Barcelona interested in him.
Barcelona are in a transitional period at the moment and their attacking unit is undergoing a lot of sweeping changes this summer. While Lionel Messi is expected to re-sign with the Blaugrana soon enough, the futures of Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele remain up in their air. In addition, Francisco Trincao has departed Camp Nou to join Premier League side Wolves on loan.
Conversely, Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero have joined Barcelona this summer, with the duo possibly heralding a new phase for the Catalan outfit. However, Aguero might not be the only player to leave Manchester City for Barcelona this summer, with the club also eyeing Mahrez now.
Apart from Mahrez, Barcelona have also been linked with Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo and Ilkay Gundogan, among a few others. However, it appears unlikely that the Blaugrana will be able to secure the services of the 30-year-old, owing to their dire financial situation.
Therefore, Barcelona will have to set their sights elsewhere to bolster their attack further this summer, with Lorenzo Insigne among the other options targeted by the club. As for Mahrez, it will be interesting to see if his spell with Manchester City ends this summer or if he stay put at the Etihad.