Leicester City are reportedly blocking the move of their star player Riyad Mahrez to Arsenal, Mirror reports.
The Premier League champions are unwilling to sell their PFA Player of Year Award winner Riyad Mahrez and are doing everything to block the transfer. The future of Jamie Vardy was out of their hands when the release clause was triggered by Arsenal and it went down to the player, for deciding to stay or leave. Vardy took his own time but eventually decided to stay.
The same cannot be said of N’Golo Kante, though, as Leicester could not do anything but part ways with the athletic midfielder, as he joined Chelsea in a £32m deal.
Now, they are determined to keep hold of Riyad Mahrez in what has become the third, out of the highly anticipated transfer sagas involving Leicester stars.
Arsenal, who acted quick and tried everything in their power to lure Jamie Vardy, are now testing Leicester’s resilience with an approach for Mahrez, combined with reports claiming that the player wants the transfer to happen.
But the Foxes are blocking the transfer from happening, as tweeted by Mohamed Bouhafsi, a French journalist who works for RMC Sport. He tweeted this on Saturday night.
Leicester a proposé un nouveau contrat à Mahrez ! En cas de refus définitif de Mahrez, LCFC espere faire monter les enchères avec les clubs
— Mohamed Bouhafsi (@mohamedbouhafsi) July 23, 2016
He wrote:
“Not yet agreement between Leicester and Arsenal for Mahrez! Leicester blocks at the moment. The player is interested in the Gunners!”
The reported interest of the player is in accordance with the claims made by Eurosport. There were other write-ups stating that he was spotted on a plane to London, but none of these would matter if the club intends to block the transfer from happening anyway.
The Algerian winger scored 17 goals and registered 11 assists in a tremendous title-winning season with Leicester that enabled him to win the PFA Player of the Year award. It is completely understandable that both the parties are trying their best to make or retain him as a player of their club.
While Arsenal fans the world over have been praying that Wenger brings on a striker and not a player like Mahrez, many have opined that if a player of his quality does, in fact, want a move, then Arsenal and Arsene Wenger must not think twice and do everything to bring him to the Emirates. Whether Mahrez will eventually join Arsenal, only time will tell.
For more updates on the transfer story of Riyad Mahrez, follow Arsenal Fever.
