Manchester City closing on Riyad Mahrez transfer as Pep Guardiola risks missing out on Chelsea target Jorginho
The Algerian is likely to have his move announced this week
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Your support makes all the difference.Riyad Mahrez is finally expected to move to Manchester City this week after Leicester City gave him permission to skip the start of their pre-season.
The Algerian winger has twice tried to force a move away from the Foxes, most recently after Pep Guardiola's side had a bid rejected for him in January.
But finally the outline of a £60m deal that pleases all parties has been agreed on in principle, with the 27-year-old forward set to add versatility and depth to the City frontline that they have been trying to buy since a deal for Alexis Sanchez went south and saw him join cross-town rivals Manchester United.
Mahrez has been one of the most productive players in England since Leicester surged to the Premier League title and last year recaptured that league-winning form with 12 goals and 10 assists. It was the second time in three seasons that he has broken double digits for both categories and he remains the only player in the Premier League to do so in that timeframe.
Despite Mahrez skipping training to try and force a departure from Leicester in each of the last two windows, he didn't let his desire to leave the club prevent him starting 34 of the Foxes' 38 league games last year. James Maddison has already arrived from Norwich City, with the hope being that Demarai Gray can combine with Maddison to replace Mahrez's attacking output.
The hope for City is that he can join soon and head off on their pre-season tour to become fully accustomed to Pep Guardiola's demands and system.
Guardiola also wants to add an all-action midfielder and has prioritised Jorginho from Napoli, though Maurizio Sarri's protracted departure and potential arrival at Chelsea has somewhat complicated matters. City have always been confident of securing the Italian international's signing but they have decided against getting into an auction with the Stamford Bridge club's latest push bringing them back into the fold.
Should Jorginho opt against joining the champions it will mean their top two central midfield targets will have escaped after Brazil's Fred joined United from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Jean-Michel Seri may return to the fold as an option for City, with Fulham and Nice close to agreeing a deal for the Ivorian midfielder but Seri himself desperate to secure a move to a Champions League side.
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