Riyad Mahrez has not trained for Leicester City since the club denied him a transfer deadline day move to Manchester City last week, but a compromise could soon be found.
Mahrez handed in a transfer request amid interest from City. The Premier League leaders made four bids for the Algerian forward, the last of which was worth £65m and included a player as part of the deal. However, Leicester rejected each offer, as they reportedly wanted a fee closer to £95m. The club’s owners are understood to have raised their valuation following Philippe Coutinho’s £142m transfer to Barcelona and Virgil van Dijk’s £75m transfer to Liverpool.
Mahrez is said to be “depressed” that Leicester denied him a move to Pep Guardiola’s team. The forward has failed to show up to training, and will miss the match against City this weekend. Yet, according to a report in The Times, he is prepared to return to the squad if Leicester meet some demands.
According to the report:
- Mahrez wants a guarantee from Leicester that he will be allowed leave this summer if City, or another club, try to sign him.
- He wants Leicester to agree to a transfer release clause.
The report also claims that the Professional Footballers’ Association have offered to mediate the dispute between Mahrez and Leicester. The 26-year-old signed a new contract, which expires in 2020, after Leicester’s Premier League title-winning campaign in 2016. He was Player of the Year that season, two years after joining the club from Le Harve for just £320,000.
