Riyad Mahrez is reportedly on the verge of joining Man City
Manchester City will try and sign Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez as soon as possible, according to reports.
As claimed by the Mail, the Premier League champions are closing in on a deal for the 27-year-old, with director of football Txiki Begiristain edging closer to agreeing terms.
Manager Pep Guardiola wants to work on strengthening his squad early in order to have players ready to defend their title when the new season kicks off, which could mean Mahrez joining by the end of the week.
Algeria failed to qualify for the World Cup, which begins on 14 June, meaning Mahrez has a full pre-season to get used to the way Guardiola likes his team to play.
City play the first of three pre-season games in Chicago on 20 July, with matches against Liverpool and Bayern Munich to follow before the end of the month.
With his unique blend of skill and creativity, the winger has become Leicester’s main man. However, he has been desperate to leave the club for a while and was close to joining City in a £60m January move, but the deal fell through.
Mahrez won the Premier League with Leicester in 2016 and could cost as much as £75m this summer.
