Arsenal are gunning for a move to bring Riyad Mahrez to the Emirates Stadium this summer. The Algerian winger has handed a transfer request to Leicester City and is bound to leave in the summer. Mahrez was an inevitable part of the Leicester City side last season as he won them the Premier League against all odds.
But this year it hasn’t been the same. Leicester struggled badly in the first half of the season as it seemed they could be drowning towards a lower half finish but a late storm in the form bailed them as they secured a much respectable 12th position in the table. Mahrez was one of the players who came forward with their blistering form to rescue the Foxes from a miserable finish.
Leicester also did well in their maiden Champions League campaign where they failed to get past the quarterfinal mark. For a team like Leicester, it is a great achievement to defeat teams like Sevilla with these limited resources and for this, the credit should go to Mahrez. The winger almost single-handedly carried the team on his shoulders as he scored four goals and laid on two assists in Europe’s elite competition.
It has been also reported that the player has asked the club to lower his value from £40m. He knows that after looking at the current scenario he doesn’t deserve that much price and lowering the value could attract some possible suitors. Monaco are also planning to bid for him and the player could slightly be inclined towards a move to France due to his stint with Le Havre.
With a Europa League campaign in the backline, the Gunners would need a variety of options. Mahrez possesses that dynamism, as he could head the Arsenal attacking line, should Alexis Sanchez decide to move elsewhere. The Chilean attacker has been heavily linked with some of the top clubs like Bayern Munich and Chelsea and also hasn’t signed a new contract.
Mahrez’ pace is excellent and he can bring more depth to the wider position. His acquisition will send Theo Walcott to the bench who has had a pretty decisive role this season. Mahrez has also shown that he can be very dangerous while operating centrally and could be an alternate option for Mesut Ozil.
Mahrez’s desire to play for a Champions League club could be a hindrance to this move but the idea of playing with Sanchez and Ozil might tempt him to shift to North London.
