Arsenal have had a big boost in their bid to sign Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City, with the Foxes boss ruling out a move to Roma.
The Algerian international was previously speculated as close to a move to the Giallorossi, and a date was even claimed to have been made for his medical, but Craig Shakespeare has ruled out such a switch.
Shakespeare has claimed that Mahrez will be staying at Leicester this season unless a sufficient bid comes from a team inside the top six of the Premier league, and we are the only team still being linked with his possible capture.
The Leicester boss insisted; ‘He wants to play for a top six club,’ said the Leicester manager. ‘If we don’t get an offer from a top six club, he stays. If that offer comes in and it’s not enough, he stays. It is quite clear for me at the moment, he has made that statement but he is our player.
‘I picked him for 60 minutes, he performed. Is it doing my head in? It’s part and parcel of the transfer window. If you let it, it can affect you. But my job is to make sure the players are focussed on every training session and every game.’
Tottenham are believed unlikely to stump up the asking price for his signature, while Chelsea’s supposed interest last summer appears to have fizzled out.
Our apparent move to Thomas Lemar is looking increasingly off the table, and we may well catch a break with Mahrez, who was the PFA Premier League Player of the Year only a year ago.
Could Mahrez play a key role for Arsenal?
Pat J