Leicester blow as Arsenal target Riyad Mahrez decides he wants to quit Premier League champions
Winger keen to seal move to a bigger club according to reports in France as Foxes fear break-up of title team
LEICESTER star Riyad Mahrez could be the latest star to quit the Premier League champions after it emerged he wants to seal a move to a bigger club.
The Foxes are desperate to keep hold of their Algerian winger and are keen to tie him down to a new long-term deal to ward off interest from Arsenal, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
But according to reports in France, the PFA Player of the Year has decided he does not want to sign any new contract and is keen to secure a move elsewhere.
The news will come as a huge blow to manager Claudio Ranieri who earlier today suggested he was confident Mahrez was going nowhere.
Ranieri said: “I am very confident he stays. He wants to stay here with us.
"He enjoys it, he is laughing. He is not a man who says ‘oh coach, I want to go.’ No, he is happy.”
However, sources in France suggest the player has now started to look to a future elsewhere in the knowledge he may never have a better chance to join one of Europe's big-guns.
If the 25-year-old does decide to quit it will be a huge blow to Ranieri who has already seen key midfielder N'Golo Kante opt to leave the King Power Stadium.
Kante has agreed as five-year deal with Chelsea and is expected to complete a £30million move to Stamford Bridge over the weekend.
The pair were two of the biggest influences on the team last season as Leicester shocked football by winning the title.
It would also be a disappointment for striker Jamie Vardy who decided against joining Arsenal earlier in the summer and committed his future to the Foxes by signing a new long-term deal with the club.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is a known admirer of Mahrez and the Algerian has the ability to fit into the way the Frenchman likes to play at the Emirates.
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But Spanish giants Barca and cash-rich PSG have also suggested they would be interested in signing him should he become available.
Mahrez's existing contract still has two years left to run and it would take a bid of at least £30million to even bgin to tempt Leicester into doing business.