Arsenal Are ‘Close To A Deal’ For Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez – Report

Riyad Mahrez to Arsenal looking like a possibility…

Arsenal are surprisingly ‘close to a deal’ for Leicester City star Riyad Mahrez, that’s according to Bleacher Report’s Arsenal correspondent James McNicholas, aka Gunnerblog.

Mahrez, who released a statement earlier this summer indicating his desire to leave, was heavily linked with a move to us last summer but opted to sign a new deal at the Kingpower Stadium instead.

Following a title-winning campaign in which he was voted the PFA Player of the Year, the 26-year-old clearly felt compelled to help Leicester City maintain their steady rise.

While much of the talk this summer has been about Monaco winger Thomas Lemar with many reports claiming that a deal is close, it makes the report on Mahrez rather surprising.

Given that the two players play in identical roles and are both left-footed, it does seem like a case of one or the other.

“What I heard yesterday did surprise me a bit and that was that Arsenal are still considered relatively close to a deal for Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez,” Gunnerblog reports.

“They have apparently been consistently in touch with the player’s representatives and club, and are considered – by far – the most likely buyer for Mahrez.”

When asked about the Algerian international earlier this summer, Wenger admitted he liked the player and cryptically claimed that we had “not yet” made an offer for the winger.

It seems his interest has always been genuine and one hopes we can pull this deal off.

Players who are able to take defenders on are very rare and Mahrez is one of Europe’s best in that regard.

Source: Gunnerblog