The top European club Riyad Mahrez wants to sign for this summer

Posted Sunday, June 11, 2017 by givemesport.com

It's now all but confirmed that Riyad Mahrez will leave Leicester City this season after publicly stating his desire to move on to bigger and better things.

The Algerian endured an underwhelming campaign last season at the King Power Stadium, despite a brilliant run in the Champions League off the back of a Premier League winning campaign.

NEXT MOVE

As expected, there's plenty of interest in the versatile winger with several Premier League clubs interested in his services, such as Arsenal and Chelsea.

Arsene Wenger hasn't shied away from the interest he has in Mahrez and fuelled speculation not too long ago that he could come back with a renewed bid this summer, while Antonio Conte's new formation at Chelsea has also seen them linked with the Algerian player of the year.

Even with interest coming in from the elite clubs, the Foxes star is reportedly ready to play the waiting game this summer in the hope of securing a move to Barcelona.

That's according to Catalan newspaper Sport, who are claiming that the winger has already informed his current club that he intends on leaving while his agents have reportedly already held talks with the Blaugrana chiefs.

BARCA INTEREST

They added that Mahrez's camp have already made the Camp Nou side aware that they've received a solid offer from Arsenal, but are more than happy to wait so that they can agree on a suitable fee with Leicester City – who apparently want £50 million for their 2015/16 player of the season.

The interest from Barcelona sounds genuine too, as Spanish radio station RAC1 have reported that the side intends on strengthening their wings in the summer transfer window while also targeting the likes of Ander Herrera and Marco Verratti.

They're also claiming that newly appointed manager Ernesto Valverde is eager to make improvements on the squad, and sees a winger as a priority as he has little to choose from beyond Lionel Messi and Neymar on either flank.

The fact that Arda Turan has failed to impress also works in his favour, as he now seems to be the stand out candidate to bolster Valverde's options on the wings.

Players like Xavi have also spoken highly of him in the past, and Mahrez will probably be counting down the days until Barcelona make an official offer to bring him to Spain.