THE RIY THING
Mahrez finally gets move
NEWCASTLE have rejected West Ham’s £25m bid for Jamaal Lascelles.
And the Hammers have been told not to bother coming back with an improved offer.
The Toon value Lascelles nearer to £40m but aren’t interested in cashing in on the centre-back.
Lascelles is more than happy to stay in the North East, with boss Rafa Benitez keen to shape his defence around the 24-year-old, who cost £5m from Nottingham Forest almost four years ago.
Meanwhile, Kenedy is set to become the Magpies’ third summer arrival after passing a medical yesterday ahead of signing on a season-long loan. The Chelsea winger spent the second half of last season at St James’ Park.
RIYAD Mahrez last night became the most expensive player in Manchester City’s history after completing his £60m move.
The Algeria international, who almost moved to the Etihad from Leicester in January, had a medical in Manchester yesterday afternoon before signing a five-year deal.
City boss Pep Guardiola hopes Mahrez will train with his new club today, with the champions leaving for their pre-season tour of the United States next Tuesday.
Mahrez has been Guardiola’s top transfer target all summer.
The Spaniard wanted the deal done before the World Cup started but talks dragged on, with Leicester trying to up the price towards the £80m they originally demanded when City came calling at the start of the year. There was
IAN WHITTELL
also a hold-up over money that the winger claimed he was owed by the club.
But at the start of this week all three parties reached agreement, with the Foxes claiming that the £60m is a base fee and that add-ons potentially edge the final price for the 27-yearold slightly higher.
Mahrez’s fee tops the £57m City paid Athletic Bilbao for defender Aymeric Laporte in January.
The only bigger fees paid by English clubs were splashed out by Manchester United for Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku and Liverpool for Virgil van Dijk.
City believe they will complete the £43m signing of Napoli’s Italy international midfielder Jorginho, despite reports claiming Chelsea are about to hijack the deal.