Leicester City: Shock Mahrez move to Chelsea?
By Jake Cursley
Yesterday saw a picture spark rumours of Leicester City’s PFA ‘Player of the Year’ Riyad Mahrez ‘meeting with’ Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
This begs the question, how credible is this picture? Let’s take a look at the facts.
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There’s no doubt that Riyad Mahrez was at the same hotel as the Chelsea boss. Perhaps the 25 year old fancied a day out in London and decided to stay overnight after Leicester City’s 2 – 1 loss on Sunday to Manchester United in the Community Shield. Nobody can know for sure, however was the Algerian winger meeting with Conte? Not as far as we know and it seems highly unlikely and purely coincidental that they’re in the same hotel.
Conte was there meeting with journalist Alessandro Schiavone, the journalist that’s sparked these rumours after tweeting a picture of Leicester City’s Mahrez in the lobby of the same hotel he was meeting Conte in yesterday.
Not a single picture so far has shown Riyad’s agent, begging the question, where is he in all of these negotiations? Surely such a high profile, big money move would be done through the agent and not directly through the player.
Rarely is a transfer conducted without an agent present at all times as players are highly susceptible to receiving bad deals without an expert present, much like how you’d be much better off with a lawyer if you’re being prosecuted.
All these rumours have been sparked by a single picture, not a single person actually saw Mahrez meet with the Italian Chelsea manager and with Leicester City’s boss Claudio Ranieri and the clubs owners consistently stating that he’ll stay, we’ll have to wait for some more solid evidence that the Algerian is on the move.
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Chelsea aren’t the only London club interested in securing Mahrez’s signature.
Arsenal are reported to be preparing a £40m+ move for the Algerian superstar after failing to sign Jamie Vardy. Despite offering him over £120,000 per week, the striker opted to stay with the foxes and continue their project of sustained success.
Andy King, Schmeichel, Chilwell and skipper Wes Morgan have also signed new contracts, with midfielder Danny Drinkwater still holding off on signing his after speculation from Tottenham has arisen but is expected to sign a new long term contract within the next week.