Arsenal target Riyad Mahrez welcomes interest from Arsene Wenger but insists 'nothing is on the table'

On the move: Mahrez is expected to leave Leicester this summer
AFP/Getty Images
James Benge12 June 2017

Leicester City star Riyad Mahrez welcomed praise from Arsene Wenger but insisted that he was not yet aware of an offer for his services from Arsenal.

Mahrez has made clear his desire to leave Leicester in the summer and Wenger seemed to position himself at the front of a queue that could also include Chelsea when he told beIN Sports that a bid from Arsenal “could happen”.

Speaking after winning the Algerian Golden Ball Mahrez made clear his gratitude for Wenger’s words of encouragement.

“It’s an honour to receive compliments like this from such a big manager [Wenger] in world football,” Mahrez said.

“But there’s a big difference between an offer and speculation, so there is nothing on the table at the moment.”

Arsenal were heavily linked with a move for Mahrez last summer, though Standard Sport understands their interest never crystallised into a formal move.

Mahrez signed a new contract at the King Power last season after a remarkable season in which his 17 goals and 10 assists guided Leicester to a stunning title triumph.

In Pictures: Leicester title celebrations

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However the Algerian international revealed even in the afterglow of that remarkable victory he had agreed with the Leicester hierarchy that he would be allowed to move on this summer.

“The chairman and I agreed that I would stay another year at the club and that he would let me leave at the end of the season,” added Mahrez, who starred in Leicester’s passage to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

“I think it would be the right time for me to leave, I have experienced everything at this football club.

“I went from the Championship to the Premier League, I stayed up with the team the next season, we won the Premier League, I won the PFA player of the year award, I played the Champions League, so we did something quite exceptional.”

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