Riyad Mahrez is off to Manchester City
Riyad Mahrez will finally get his wish granted. After two years of unsuccessfully trying to convince Leicester City to let him go, the Algerian has agreed to terms with Manchester City and is set to undergo a medical within the next 48 hours. Contract talks between the clubs commenced in January, once The Citizens realized Alexis Sanchez changed his mind and chose Manchester United instead. However, a potential transfer never came to fruition, mostly because Leicester wanted somewhere between €105-€110 million.
Those demands significantly decreased after the conclusion of the Premier League campaign. Mahrez was always thought to be on his way to City, it was just a matter of time when with all the bargaining chips falling into place. Contracts talks stalled due to Leicester’s desire to make Patrick Roberts part of the deal, a player who could at least temporarily fill the empty winger slot left by Mahrez’s departure. Whether Roberts will join The Foxes or not is unclear at this point. What has been revealed is the transfer fee, which is around €68 million plus add-ons. Those add-ons could see the total fee eventually rise to €85 million.
When made official, Mahrez’s arrival will break Manchester City’s transfer record set last year when Aymeric Laport joined from Athletic Bilbao for €65 million.
Angus Gunn to Southampton
Angus Gunn is a 22-year-old goalkeeper in Manchester City’s system who spent last season in his hometown Norwich City and played all 46 matches while on loan. With Ederson and Claudio Bravo as the first and second choice keepers, he has no future at the club and was looking for a move. Southampton is the team which stepped up. The Saints are reportedly willing to pay €11.5 million plus potential bonuses in order to acquire the youngster.
Southampton is currently without a backup goalkeeper after deciding not to renew Fraser Forster’s contract. Alex McCarthy was given a new deal, which means he’s entrenched as the team’s No.1. Gunn will become Alex McCarthy’s understudy for the time being and should eventually usurp his place in the starting lineup. It is not known at this time whether Manchester City have inserted a buy-back clause in the deal.
