RIYAD’S REGRET
Mahrez anguish at failed City move
RIYAD MAHREZ admits he still has “regrets” about the collapse of his move to Manchester City and has refused to rule out a summer switch from Leicester.
Mahrez missed 10 days’ training when the 2016 champions refused to sell him to the runaway Premier League leaders in January.
The Foxes upset Mahrez by slapping an £80million price-tag on his head and rejecting multiple bids from City.
The Algerian, who was desperate to move north, said: “Going to Manchester City is a good move for anyone.
“You always have regrets but it is the past and it is behind me.
“Moving forward, I want to try to give my best for the team.”
The 27-year-old missed two games for Leicester during the tug of war and was said to be “depressed” when the deal broke down.
He has since been reintegrated into the Leicester starting lineup and scored a brilliant free-kick equaliser against Bournemouth last weekend.
He added: “It was difficult at the time but I have always been in contact with the club.
“My team-mates and the club was behind me and were OK with me so it was very easy to come back into the team.
“I have been with these team-mates four years now so they know me well and now we have moved on.”
Yet when the prospect of a Leicester exit in the summer was raised, Mahrez said: “I don’t want to talk about this.
“In football players come and players leave. I am not saying I am going to leave or going to go. We will see in the summer if something happens but at the moment I am a Leicester City player and I am good here.
“Right now we are very far away from the transfer window.”
Leicester, in eighth position in the Premier League, are still bang in the hunt for the FA Cup and host Chelsea in the quarter-finals a week on Sunday.
“There are still 10 games to go – nine in the league and one in the FA Cup, or maybe three in the FA Cup,” Mahrez said. “That is all I am focused on so I don’t walk to talk about the transfer window.”
Mahrez, the 2016 PFA player of the year, spoke out after his Facebook account, hacked this week, claimed he was retiring.