Leicester City manager Craig Shakespeare has confirmed Riyad Mahrez is seeking a move to a ‘top six club’ amid mounting speculation he is attempting to force a move to Roma.
The Algeria international submitted a written transfer request earlier this summer which coincided with Arsene Wenger hinting he could look to bring Mahrez to Arsenal.
Despite numerous reports linking the 2015/16 Player of the Season with a move to the Gunners and their north London rivals Tottenham, Mahrez remains at Leicester and has played a prominent role in their pre-season campaign.
‘He wants to play for a top six club,’ said Shakespeare confirmed after Leicester’s 2-1 defeat against Burton on Tuesday.
‘If we don’t get an offer from a top six club, he stays. If that offer comes in and it’s not enough, he stays. It is quite clear for me at the moment, he has made that statement but he is our player.
‘I picked him for 60 minutes, he performed. Is it doing my head in? It’s part and parcel of the transfer window. If you let it, it can affect you. But my job is to make sure the players are focussed on every training session and every game.’
Leicester still want as much as £50million for the 26-year-old, who got his first taste of the Champions League last season.
Leicester’s poor league form meant they could not qualify for the competition for a second season running and Roma would give Mahrez the chance to play at Europe’s top table once again, and the club are in need of a quality signing in attack after selling Mohamed Salah to Liverpool back in June.
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