Arsenal’s move for Riyad Mahrez has been reportedly put on hold, with the Gunners unwilling to shell out £50 million to secure the summer deal.
According to a report in Daily Mail, Riyad Mahrez has been left in a limbo over his move to Arsenal in the summer transfer window. The Gunners do not want to pay anything over £35 million to secure the Algerian winger’s services are unwilling to meet Leicester City’s £50 million valuation of the player.
Mahrez has been the single most instrumental player at Leicester City since he made the move to the King Power Stadium. The player was one of the main pillars in the Foxes’ shock Premier League triumph in the 2015/16 season, while also winning the PFA and Premier League Player of the Year.
And as Leicester endured a massive fall from grace in the recently concluded season, it was Mahrez, whose slump in form paved the way for a disastrous campaign for his side, before a late flourish for both the player and the club saw them end the campaign on a positive note.
Mahrez ended the campaign with a paltry return of 10 goals and 7 assists in 48 appearances across all competitions before handing in a transfer request to Leicester. But even though his performances were not up to the mark in the 2016/17 season, the player continues to attract interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Arsenal, though, lead the race to sign the Algeria interntional, with Arsene Wenger keen to revamp his squad following an underwhelming campaign in the 2016/17 season. The Gunners have been busy in the transfer market having already secured the services of Alexandre Lacazette and Sead Kolasinac.
Their next priority seems to be the addition of another attacking player, with the future of Alexis Sanchez mired in heavy uncertainty. The Chilean is being heavily linked to a move away from the Emirates this summer, prompting the Arsenal boss to delve into the transfer market for a winger.
While Mahrez isn’t exactly a like for like replacement for Sanchez, he does bring a lot of creative abilities to the table to complement Mesut Ozil behind the central striker in Wenger’s newly deployed 3-4-2-1 formation.
However, there is a huge gap in valuation between the two sides, with Leicester commanding a £50 million transfer fee for Mahrez. On the other hand, Arsenal are only willing to spend £35 million on the player, meaning there are still a few details that need to be agreed on before the move sees the light of the day.
Thus, Mahrez is set to begin pre-season training with Leicester with a switch to the Emirates still some way off. It now remains to be seen if the two clubs are able to reach a middle ground over the transfer fee to make the move a reality this summer.
