It looks as though Chelsea manager Antonio Conte likes waiting until the last minute.
A year after snatching David Luiz and Marcos Alonso at the expiration of the transfer window, Chelsea looks to be at it again as they’ve submitted a $58 million bid for Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez, per BeIN Sports.
The 27-year-old Algerian has been a part of Leicester’s side since 2013, recording 36 goals.
He played a big part in Leicester’s dream season of 2015-16 when the Foxes improbably won the Premier League title after starting the season at 5,000-1 odds. Mahrez recorded 17 goals in the Premier League alone that season.
While his production dipped last season, he was still a fixture in the side that competed in the Champions League and made the quarterfinals.
After Leicester fell back down to Earth in the Premier League though — they finished 12th in 2016-17 — Mahrez let it be known that he wished to leave for a club that would consistently compete in the Champions League.
Chelsea is just that kind of club after winning the English title last year.
However, they are in desperate need of depth and of playmaking considering they will be competing for a title defense in the Premier League and in the Europe. And with the ongoing saga surrounding Diego Costa’s possible sale to Atletico Madrid, that won’t help.
Mahrez could add a spark to a striking corps that is relying heavily on new signing Alvaro Morata, who joined from Real Madrid over the summer. Michy Batshuayi is No. 2 behind the Spaniard but has yet to prove that he can be a marquee man at such a high level.
