No surprise really as we all expected it. We all wanted Kante and Mahrez to give us 1 more year after winning the title. Kante didnt but Mahrez did. He will leave as a Leicester legend and one of if not the best player ever to pull on a Leicester shirt He wont need to buy a direct replacement IMO as Demarai Gray and Tom Lawrence step up. We should get a big transfer fee for Mahrez and shouldnt accept anything under £40M
FULL STATEMENT And here is that statement from Riyad Mahrez in full: "Out of the huge admiration and respect I hold for Leicester City Football Club I wanted to be totally honest and transparent with them and have therefore informed the club that I feel now is the time for me to move on. "I had a good discussion with the Chairman last summer and we agreed at that time that I would stay for another year in order to help the club as best as I could following the transition of winning the title and in the Champions League. "However, I am fiercely ambitious and feel that now is the time to move on to a new experience. "I've always enjoyed a good relationship with the Chairman and everyone at the club, and I hope I have been able to repay the faith shown to me by my performances and commitment on the pitch during my time here. "I've had the four best seasons of my career at Leicester and have loved every moment. I feel immense pride to have been a part of what we have achieved during my time at the club, culminating in becoming Premier League Champions. "The relationship I share with the club and our amazing fans is something I will treasure forever and I truly hope they will understand and respect my decision."
Is as expected - the main clubs after him are Arsenal and Monaco with Marseilles and Spurs rumoured to be interested as well.
Fair play. Disappointing but fair play. His worry now is that his performances were so consistently below standard last season that no one particularly big will want him. Monaco seems sensible
Not being funny but I sincerely hope and trust that he has set his sights higher and better than the Spuds ffs !
Thanks for staying Mahrez, some great performances helped us in the title winning season (Watford away stands out), this season, not so sure, probably best for him to goto a club where he'll get more chances to showcase his skills. Shame he had to release a statement, it will probably drop his transfer fee by a few million. Now we know that hes definitely off, i hope we are looking to bring in his replacement as soon as possible, because im not convinced that Gray will stay either, even if he does, hes still very raw and hasn't impressed me when hes started matches.
No surprise, find it slightly odd he's released a statement. Hopefully a move abroad rather than another PL team. Atletico Madrid? Could that explain his appearance last week... Outstanding player for us. One of the best we've ever seen. Absolutely
Zut alors! How will we cope without his electrifying pace and combative defensive capabilities? In all honesty I can't see him fitting into another Premier League team. Spain or France would suit him much better.
Thanks for giving us one more year Riyad, albeit below par. I hope he goes abroad rather than stay in the Prem. I will watch his future career with interest.
Thanks for the games you played in! think it is best for all parties that you have decided to go Good Luck in the future, work hard and don't turn into a bench warmer
Best for all concerned he was a passenger in many games this past season but I will remember the magical games he had before that. Wish him well.
I dont think this is as clear cut as Mahrez thinks We will want a fee based on what he achieved during our title winning season Other clubs will want to pay for what he was last season He has no release clause unlike Kante and still has 3 years left on his contract. We turned down £38M for his mate Islam Slimani who probably want to leave aswell now. So that proves we wont be bullied by someone throwing a couple of quid around
I think it is rather clear cut - what the club are asking for and what the club want are two different things and I think he knows what the club wants and his agent is going around "Leicester want £50m but you can get him for £35m if you give me a couple of quid to negotiate for you - grab a bargain". With Arsenal most likely losing Ozil and Sanchez, there is space there for him as there is in Monaco with half their team leaving. There is even a chance we might get a new manager who persuades him to stay.
I'm sure he has .. the comment "fiercely ambitious" would appear to rule out both Spurs and Liverpool ... Monaco or Arsenal would seem to meet the criteria ... both likely to be UCL participators regularly and there is the french element to boot ... Will miss him ... what a player ... and he was a major, major, factor in Leicester City FC winning the title ... his goal away at Man City last season will remain one of my favourite memories of watching the club over a lifetime ... good luck fella, hope you go on to more success and glory ...
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/riyad-mahrez-urges-leicester-reduce-10536847 Sincerely hope this isn't true as it would reflect very badly on him. Fair enough if he wants to go (I think Monaco is the best option) but to try and bully the club into losing out on money (if true) is wrong. How about he puts the extra £10mill from his own pocket or his signing on fee elsewhere if he's that desperate. I bet he won't! He's alledgedly using the fact we got him cheaply as justification. Does that mean Spurs should let Kane leave for £10mill as he came through the academy and didn't cost them? Of course not.
