Claudio Ranieri has urged Arsenal target Riyad Mahrez to stay at Leicester for at least one more season or risk damaging his career.
Mahrez, last season’s PFA Player of the Year, was among the stars of Leicester’s remarkable title triumph in May yet the champions have already seen key players emerge as transfer targets for their Premier League rivals.
Though Leicester were able to convince top scorer Jamie Vardy to turn down interest from Arsenal and sign a new contract N’Golo Kante has been lured away, moving to Chelsea for £32million earlier this month.
Ranieri remains confident that Mahrez will not follow Kante out of the club, warning the Algerian that the sizeable price tag he would command would only see pressure piled on him.
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“I speak often with him and say stay with us, it's much better for your future, I think he is an intelligent man and he will stay,” Ranieri said.
“He improves more if he stays with us for another year, maybe next year he can think about another solution. If he goes for a lot of money, everybody will be expecting something special. He can do something special, but with us.”
Earlier in the summer Mahrez’s representative Kamel Bengougam warned that he could offer no guarantees over his client’s future, stating that it was “50-50” whether the 25-year-old
