Riyad Mahrez could be one of the big names out of the doors this summer at the Etihad Stadium as Man City prepare for the arrival of Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian has reportedly agreed to initial terms to link up with City, with Pep Guardiola finally looking set to land his dream No.9 after the pursuit of Harry Kane came to no avail last summer.
A big-money move for the Borussia Dortmund talisman will most likely cause a domino effect. A few of the players in what is a strong batch of serial winners vying to win the Champions League and Premier League this term could be forced to look elsewhere, and this is where Mahrez could come into the equation.
football.london takes a look at the latest on the future of Man City's No.26 as we approach the summer transfer window.
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Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid interest
Thomas Tuchel's side are reported to be one of the clubs following' Mahrez's precarious situation in East Manchester as his contract ticks down to the dreaded one year mark. With no new deal currently in sight, the summer could be one of the last opportunities for the reigning Premier League Champions to cash in on a player who has a current market value of £36million as per transfermarkt.
French Outlet Footmercato and L'Equipe have reported that Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid all interested in poaching a player that has had a makeshift role in Pep Guardiola's side. The report goes on to add that the Parisians, who are rumoured to be in the process of sacking Mauricio Pochettino, view Mahrez as Angel Di Maria's natural heir whilst Florentino Perez views him as a potential Eden Hazard replacement.
Could one of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech or Christian Pulisic make way for the arrival of the Premier League-winning winger?
'Incredible club' admission
Chelsea may already have the advantage over others in this transfer race with what Mahrez has said in the past. Back when Antonio Conte's side clinched the title back in 2017 during that famous night at the Hawthorns, the current Man City star was heard speaking to former Leicester City teammate Islam Slimani and their conversation back at the time was picked up by French broadcasters - via the Daily Mail.
Slimani said to Mahrez: "Hey, Chelsea are champions!" The winger replied: "They're an incredible club. A real club."
Gabriel Jesus danger
The Brazilian, who has just come off the back of netting four times last time out against Watford, and could well be the player to make way to compensate for Haaland's arrival.
Man City's No.9 has been linked to Arsenal and despite not wanting to be drawn in on the speculation, the striker didn't necessarily rule out a summer move to the Emirates Stadium with his current focus on the now at this pivotal part of the season for Guardiola and co.
"Not time to think about this," he said when quizzed about leaving the Champions League runners up in the 2020-21 campaign.. "You expect me to say this and it’s true.
"Not time to think about this, now is the best moment of the season. I want to enjoy it, keep focussed on my teammates to fight for the Premier League. I’ve won with my teammates three times already so I know how it feels and I want to again. We have a tough game on Tuesday against Real Madrid, a tough opponent.
"That’s my focus." The 25-year-old was also asked about his playing time this term, to which he replied: "It’s not just me, the players. If you ask the players about playing everyone wants to play. Since I arrive here I play a lot, know what I expect but I know we have very good players who can play every game. Not just me, Riyad [Mahrez], Raz [Sterling], [Jack] Grealish who arrives now who sees how it is here.
"We have a lot of good strikers and winger, everyone wants to play and that's the challenge to keep focussed and when you get an opportunity try to do your best. I’ll play as a straight [central] player, I can go there, upfront, run everywhere and try to fight, regain the ball, attack. I think this is my quality. I play on the streets until I was 15, arrive at Palmeiras at 15.
"I learn a lot from that, there I play like this. Sometimes I put videos I’m running everywhere and that’s my quality. I’m happy because I have the confidence from the manager and from the players. When I start, Riyad starts, Raz, Phil [Foden], Grealish, Bernardo [Silva] upfront, [Ilkay] Gundo[gan].
"We try our best. We have the experience, I’m still young but the last five to six years I play a little bit tough in big games. I know I can play [versus Real Madrid] but sometimes the manager tries another player and I try to keep focussed when I get the chance.”
football.london understands that Jesus is among the shortlisted profiles who could arrive in north London at the end of the current campaign. Could Jesus to Arsenal potentially prevent Chelsea from snapping up Mahrez with Man City most likely keen not to let too many players leave before the 2022-23 campaign?
Pep Guardiola and Man City's stance
Despite all the talk surrounding the 31-year-old, his current manager can see why the European elite could be sniffing around his player. He said in a pre-match press conference this season via Manchester World: "Yeah he’s an exceptional player, it’s all I can say. He’s a player that many teams would like to have.
"He knows my opinion, especially with him. I try to push him a lot, we struggle together because I know the quality he has and he’s a player I admire for the fact he handles the pressure, he likes to play in the biggest stages.
"It’s difficult to find that, players like him. Not just me, the whole club has an incredibly high opinion of him and his quality, no doubt about that."
Chelsea fans- which player in your opinion would you want to see make way for Riayd Mahrez's potential arrival this summer? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
