Deadline Day: Riyad Mahrez Given Special Permission To Leave Algeria Squad To Finalise Move To ‘New Club’

Chris Wright

31st, August 2017

With the last hours of the transfer window wicking away, it looks like Riyad Mahrez is finally preparing himself to leave Leicester City.

The winger, who politely informed the Foxes of his desire to leave several months ago, has been given special dispensation to leave the Algeria squad and travel to London in order to “free himself up” to negotiate with an as-yet unnamed new club.

Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Monaco and Roma have all expressed an interest in taking Mahrez off Leicester’s hands over the summer, but the last concrete offer (from Roma) for his services was submitted over three weeks ago.

While no clubs have explicitly been ruled ‘in’, at least one club have explicitly been ruled ‘out’ – no prizes for guessing whom…

The asking price is reported to be pitched somewhere between £35-£45million, which has no doubt been buoyed by Mahrez’s admirable commitment to maintaining the standard of his performances for the Foxes so far this season despite announcing his intent to move on.