According to reports from The Express this afternoon, Arsenal are ‘expected’ to launch a bid for Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez when the transfer market reopens in January.
The Algerian international has been the Premier League’s stand-out star during the opening fixtures of the 2015/16 campaign, bagging four goals and two assists in five appearances to propel the Foxes to a lofty second in the league table.
Arsenal were reportedly monitoring the 24 year-old’s situation during the summer and The Express claim they’re now expected to ‘make a move’ for him in the new year.
Riyad Mahrez’ early season form for Leicester City
That could prove rather problematic, however. King Power Stadium boss Claudio Ranieri insisted during the final week of the transfer window that Mahrez is not for sale at any price, declaring; “Riyad is worth nothing as we don’t sell him so there is no price.”
Likewise, the former Le Harve youngster, purchased by the Midlands outfit for a meager £400k in January 2014, has recently been linked with a move to Barcelona, representing rather sizable competition for the north Londoners.
According to prior reports from The Express, he’s been shortlisted by the European champions as a potential replacement for winger Pedro, who signed for Chelsea during the summer.