Day: January 31, 2018

Riyad Mahrez have submitted a transfer request to Leicester City after Manchester City made a surprise £60 million bid for his signature.

The Algerian who won the PFA Player of the Year in 2016 has been linked with a move to a top European side since he helped Leicester City win the Premier League in the 2015/2016 season. He came close to leaving the King Power Stadium last season but no club could meet Leicester City’s demand.

He has been outstanding for them once again this season, proving to clubs that he is not a one-season wonder.

Pep Guardiola had not planned to sign a new attacker this month after losing out to Manchester United on the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal, however, the injury to Leroy  Sane and Gabriel Jesus has forced him to return to the market.

Leicester do not have to sell and certainly don’t want to sell this late in the transfer window as it would be hard for them to replace the Algerian, but Mahrez wants to leave and he has handed in a transfer request.

The Algerian was missing in the Foxes training on Tuesday as he looks to force through the move, knowing he could potentially win another Premier League by the end of this season.

Newcastle United and West Ham are going head to head in their bid to sign Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala before the close of transfer window today.

The Premier League duo are looking to bolster their squad ahead of a potential relegation scrap.

Mangala has fallen further down the pecking order after the signing of Aymeric Laporte and knows his only chance of playing regularly this season is to go out on loan. He has been the fourth choice center-back before the arrival of Laporte, behind Vincent Kompany, John Stones, and Nicolas Otamendi.

Pep Guardiola would not stand in the way of Mangala and only had good things to say about the defender when asked why he signed Laporte with Mangala still on their books. Guardiola admitted that Mangala has been helpful to them this season especially in the absence of one of the first choice defenders.

Valencia, where Mangala spent last season on loan, are also interested in bringing him back as they chase a Champions League spot.

Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez is desperate to add Mangala to his team after finally getting permission from Mike Ashley to spend some money in the transfer market.

David Moyes has also been left without a choice but to make a new defensive signing following the injury to Winston Reid and James Collins.

Juventus are close to completing the free transfer of Emre Can from Liverpool on a free transfer and the Italians are optimistic that he would join them.

The Italian club’s president was asked about the situation of things with Can and he claimed that talks were well on their way with the German and they hope to wrap things up sooner rather than later.

Can has just under 6 months left on his Liverpool contract and has been reluctant to sign a new deal with the Reds who have been in talks with his representatives for the past 2 years.

At the age of 24, he can sign a pre-contract agreement with any European side from this month, but the German has kept his options open even claiming that he could still sign a new Liverpool deal.

Jurgen Klopp has admitted that Can could leave Liverpool after this season, but he insisted that the German would still be involved in his team’s game plan as long as he remains committed to the Reds.

The German manager also dismissed any suggestion that Liverpool would sell Can this month, and also admitted that the Reds may not be making any further addition to their squad this month despite losing Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge.