Riyad Mahrez edges closer to Leicester City departure

Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez is edging closer to completing his £60 million move to Manchester City, according to MirrorSport.

There were more talks held between the two clubs last week, as the Citizens look to get the deal done before the FIFA World Cup gets underway.

There has now been over a month spent in negotiations, with there being a few twists and turns along the way. Mahrez’s was initially understood to be a £75 million transfer to the Etihad Stadium before some outlets reported that it would be a player-plus-cash deal involving Patrick Roberts.

However, more reports followed soon after that, suggesting that there would be no player added, only for The Telegraph and the Leicester Mercury to later reveal that Leicester City indeed want Patrick Roberts as part of the £60 million move. Do not be surprised if there are some more U-turns.

It would be silly to even expect Claude Puel target someone before he can actually see the cash in the Leicester City accounts and Riyad Mahrez in the Manchester City colours.

We are well aware of how complicated can transfers be in this era – the latest example being Liverpool’s failed pursuit of Lyon’s Nabil Fekir – and judging by how long it has taken to finalise the terms for the 27-year old, anything is still possible.

Next: Loan move on the cards for Leicester City’s George Thomas

Hopefully, this chapter would be closed pretty soon if everything goes as is, and the Foxes can then move on to a new era with some good bit of recruiting this summer.