HANDS OFF!
Foxes want £50m before Mahrez can leave
LEICESTER are ready to slap a £50m price tag on unsettled winger Riyad Mahrez.
Last season’s PFA Player of the Year has told Leicester he wants out with a number of big clubs ready to test the water. But Leicester’s mega-rich owners are ready to play hardball and tell potential suitors they can forget about trying to land Mahrez at a bargain price. The Srivaddhanaprabha family won’t be amused that the Algerian wants to jump ship and money is not an issue. They feel they looked after the winger less than 12 months ago when they dished out a new £100,000-a-week, four-year deal to reward him for his role in the club’s title heroics. Mahrez’s glittering displays were a big factor in Leicester’s shock title win. He has blown hot and cold in the league this season but played a big part in helping the club reach the Champions League quarter-finals. That’s part of the problem – Mahrez now feels he has gone as far as he can with Leicester and has to get away. Paris St-Germain and Monaco head a host of teams keen, with Arsenal also in the hunt. The Gunners were interested last summer but it remains to be seen whether Arsene Wenger, armed ® with an £100m war chest, would rekindle that interest.
Mahrez’s price tag will almost certainly frighten off many of the contenders but Leicester hold the whip hand.
They have the player tied to three more years on his deal and value him in the same bracket as Manchester City pair John Stones and Raheem Sterling, who moved for £47.5m and £49m respectively. Mahrez’s poor displays this season aside, Leicester argue that he is the man voted the best in the Premier League by his peers only 12 months ago.
With Mahrez wanting out and the club almost certain to face a fight to keep hold of keeper Kasper Schmeichel (left), it is vital they get their managerial appointment sorted quickly. Craig Shakespeare looks certain to be named as Claudio Ranieri’s permanent successor despite the club dragging their feet.
But it promises to be a rocky summer for whoever is in charge, with a number of players heading for the exit.
The Foxes will find it hard to keep Schmeichel if the big boys come calling.
Club record £29m signing Islam Slimani is another who could be on his way with West Ham and former club Sporting Lisbon both tracking the striker. Leo Ulloa and Ahmed Musa will also be allowed to leave. UEFA Women’s Champions League final: CRICKET Champions Trophy Group A – The Oval: 1st ODI – Trent Bridge: DARTS Betway PDC World Cup GOLF Nordea Masters SPEEDWAY SGB Championship: Championship KO Cup qtrfinal, 2nd leg: National Trophy: TENNIS French Open ACROSS: DOWN: