Riyad Mahrez set for dream move to Barcelona after snubbing Leicester contract offer
Another blow for Claudio Ranieri as title hero ready to swap Premier League champions for La Liga giants
RIYAD MAHREZ is set for a dream move to Barcelona after telling Leicester he wants to leave.
The PFA Player of the Year rejected a bumper new contract with the champions this weekend.
He has three seasons remaining on his Foxes contract but has instructed his representatives to engineer a move away from the King Power this summer.
And reports that the Nou Camp is the Algerian’s preferred location.
Mahrez has been locked in talks with Leicester chiefs who are desperate to cling onto their title-winning heroes.
Top-scorer Jamie Vardy snubbed Arsenal last month to sign a new £100k-per-week deal with the club.
But Mahrez, 25, looks set to deal Claudio Ranieri’s side another major blow – after N’Golo Kante left for Chelsea for a fee around £30million on Saturday.
Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are believed to be ready to rival Barca for his signature.
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But the La Liga giants remain strong favourites – with Mahrez earlier this year admitting the “every player dreams of playing with Lionel Messi.”
Leicester are resigned to selling the winger – who netted seventeen Premier League goals last term – but are unlikely to settle for a fee less than £35m.
Barcelona are believed to have only £20m left of their transfer budget having already signed Denis Suarez, Lucas Digne and Samuel Umtiti this window.
A mega new deal for Neymar and a proposed offer for Messi have also seen the Spanish champions’ finances take a hit.
But vice-president Jordi Mestre opened the door to a move for Mahrez admitting that the club can break the bank “if the market presents a good opportunity.”