Leicester City might have thought they were in the clear on Deadline Day with fewer than 30 hours remaining in the January transfer window, but winger Riyad Mahrez is not going to remain with the club quietly.
The Algerian international handed in a late transfer request, as first reported by Sky Sports News, the day before the transfer window is set to close.
Mahrez became a household name during Leicester’s Cinderella run to the 2015/16 Premier League title as he scored 17 goals and added 11 assists during the season.
The dynamic 26-year-old has continued to excel out wide for the Foxes, answering an 11-goal campaign the following season with 13 tallies in all competitions during the 2017/18 campaign.
He has been a coveted target of league leaders Manchester City, who lost young Leroy Sane for up to six weeks because of an ankle injury suffered during the FA Cup fourth-round triumph over Cardiff.
According to Kaveh Solhekol of Sky Sports, City had already submitted a pair of bids for Mahrez, the second coming in at more than $70.7 million. However, Leicester denied both before Mahrez handed in his transfer request.
It is unlikely Leicester would be willing to sell Mahrez even if City comes back with an even higher bid. They did not part with him in May of 2017 either even after Mahrez submitted a transfer request amid interest from Italian Serie A side Roma.
Leicester is currently attempting to hold on to the seventh-place spot in the Premier League, which is the final qualification spot for the Europa League. Burnley has the same 34 points as Leicester, but the Foxes are ahead on goal difference.
