Leicester City striker Riyad Mahrez hands in a transfer request as he seeks a move away from the club hours left in transfer window

Leicester City striker Riyad Mahrez hands in a transfer request as he seeks a move away from the club with hours left in transfer window

So the Leicester City forward Riyad Mahrez has put in for a transfer. This is the second time in recent transfer windows that he has agitated for a move away from Leicester. Will he get a move and where will this mercurial player be plying his trade come February?

Mahrez form has been patchy this past two seasons since he played such a pivotal role in Leicester’s remarkable 2016 premier league title win. There have only been flashes of the form that made him Player of the Season in that title-winning campaign.

But it seems clear that Mahrez has not been totally focussed on playing for Leicester City since that amazing season. Inevitably and perhaps understandably he’s had his head turned as speculation about big money moves to various clubs has grown.

Mahrez is a player who seems to divide opinion with some thinking he is a brilliant addition to any side given his creative and goal scoring talent. For others though he is a player who perhaps too often goes missing and fails to deliver on his potential.

Now it looks like Mahrez is once more trying to leave Leicester City, although his timing is a little odd. If he is determined to get out of the King Power stadium surely he would have put in this request at the beginning of the window?

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Still it leaves Leicester with a bit of a dilemma as they have to decide whether they should just cash in on the player in the next 24 hours or try to hold onto him until the summer and risk the whole saga starting all over again.

But given there is just a day left of the window, they could probably get an even more inflated price for Mahrez now, especially if a bidding war develops between several interested clubs in such a short time.

Manchester City would seem to be the early favourites as they have expressed interest in Mahrez before. However City have just broken their transfer record paying over £50 million for the French defender Aymeric Laporte.

In all likelihood any deal for Mahrez would be of a similar size and it’s perhaps doubtful Guardiola would be prepared to spend that sort of money again in this window.

But if not Man City other clubs notably Arsenal and Liverpool have also been linked to the player too. Of the two Liverpool would now seem more likely as Arsenal have switched their attention to securing a club record deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

But if the highly complex three-way deal for Aubameyang falls through, Arsenal might revive their interest in the Leicester player.

Liverpool of course have the £140 million they received for Phillipe Coutinho earlier in the window, which is still burning a hole in Jurgen Klopp’s pocket.

Mahrez would seem to be a similar type of player to Coutinho although it’s uncertain whether he would have the same consistent impact and influence as the Brazilian.

However given Liverpool’s recent defeats and despite Virgil Van Dijk’s arrival, more defensive strengthening might be more needed. There ever more glaring need for better quality at full-back and in goal should surely take priority?

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Klopp though has seemed uninterested in adding further defensive reinforcements and his attacking philosophy might mean a deal for Mahrez will get done, taking the player to Anfield.

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