Real Madrid are reportedly keen on signing 30-year-old Algerian attacker Riyad Mahrez from Manchester City.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Real Madrid are unsurprisingly keeping a close watch on several Ballon d’Or nominees, with two particularly standing out. One of these two players is Riyad Mahrez, with Florentino Perez personally driving the pursuit of the 30-year-old Manchester City forward.
Riyad Mahrez arrived at Manchester City from Leicester City in the summer of 2018 already widely regarded as one of the best players in the Premier League. And since joining the Citizens, the Algerian attacker has come leaps and bounds even though he has not started week in week out, even being nominated for the Ballon d’Or this year after playing a key role in the Premier League triumph last term.
So far this season, Mahrez appears to be in decent touch, with four goals and two assists in nine appearances across all competitions. His progress over the last three years have duly been noted and even though he is on the wrong side of 30, Real Madrid are in the hunt for his signature.
Real Madrid are on the lookout for attacking talents this season as Florentino Perez looks to undergo a squad rebuild. With Eden Hazard struggling to perform consistently due to his fitness woes and Marco Asensio also getting closer to the chopping block, some big changes could be on the horizon.
In addition, Gareth Bale is in the final year of his contract with Real Madrid and unlikely to be handed a new deal. With that in mind, it appears as if the Merengues could well add multiple attacking players even if they end up securing the services of priority target Kylian Mbappe.
To that end, Mahrez is a viable target seeing as he could be a short-term fix in the attacking unit till Rodrygo Goes comes up to the required level. Meanwhile, apart from Mahrez, Real Madrid also have their sights set on Gerard Moreno, although the Spanish forward will be more of a solution in the centre.
As far as the pursuit of Mahrez is concerned, Florentino Perez is personally invested in signing him and it remains to be seen if he ends up leaving Manchester City. His contract with the Premier League champions runs out in the summer of 2023, meaning there might be a chance to land him on the cheap next summer.
