Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez is the latest forward to be linked with a January move to Arsenal, having already gotten his name on the score sheet 14 times so far this season, as reported by the Metro.
The Algerian international has been attracting the attention of a number of top clubs, but now the British tabloid the Daily Star are claiming Arsenal have made contact with Leicester to enquire as to his availability.
Mahrez joined Leicester two years ago from French Ligue 2 side Le Havre for just £400,000, with the Star now claiming his market value has skyrocketed to an incredible £25 million, thanks to his fine performances with the high-flying Foxes.
Unlike many of his fellow professional footballers though, the 24-year-old is not pushing for a move away to join a bigger club, with the report suggesting he is quite happy to remain at the King Power Stadium until the summer.
Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri told BBC 5 live virtually the same thing, but added the clubs view regarding any transfers, saying that Leicester “don’t need the money” they could bring in by selling either Mahrez or Jamie Vardy in January.
“They stay with us until the summer and after that they want to stay with us if we finish in a high position,” said the Italian,
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By finish in a high position we assume that the 64-year-old was referring to a Champions League spot next season.
The Foxes missed out on the opportunity to leapfrog Arsenal into first place last night, after being held at home to a scoreless draw by Manchester City. And the bore draw certainly suited Arsenal, given that Leicester City and Manchester City are the Gunners’ biggest threat right now to winning the title.
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As for Mahrez moving to the Emirates in January, it sounds like a non-starter to us. Depending on where Leicester finish in the table though, a summer move seems like a real possibility.
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