From Fabrizio Romano: Saudi Pro League club’s interest in Manchester City superstar now ‘confirmed and concrete’ | OneFootball

Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli have a ‘confirmed’ and ‘concrete’ interest in Manchester City superstar Riyad Mahrez, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed on Thursday.

It was first reported on Wednesday, as per CBS Sports, that Al Ahli’s president Waleed Muaath had traveled to London this week in an attempt to secure the signature of the five-time Premier League champion.

That interest follows a flurry of investments in some of Europe’s most prominent footballing stars, as the Saudi Arabian game looks to develop itself into one of the most captivating divisions in global football.

Real Madrid mega-star Karim Benzema completed a move of his own this week, joining Al Ittihad in a move that will see the Frenchman take home a paycheque of almost €200 million per season as a net salary, including commercial deals.

The latest player to be subject to interest from the Saudi government-funded league is Riyad Mahrez, with the opportunity to bring an end to his illustrious five-year stay at the Etihad Stadium potentially on the table.

According to the information of the ever-reliable transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli now have a ‘confirmed’ and ‘concrete’ interest in Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, as they want to sign Algerian international this summer.

However, it is clarified that at this stage, Manchester City have not yet been approached, and would require a ‘consistent’ fee to sell the 32 year-old, with no intention of allowing the player to leave for free given his favourable contractual agreement.

At present, the understanding within the club is that City are unlikely to entertain any offers for the player, unless Mahrez himself indicates a clear desire to leave the project within Pep Guardiola’s squad.

Family and the lifestyle on offer will largely dictate Riyad Mahrez’s thinking on a potential move, having become very settled in the north-west of England with his partner and their young children.

Manchester City are however interested in strengthening their forward line in the coming months, despite a clear lack of feasible options in the wide positions after their scouting mission on AC Milan’s Rafael Leao in particular ended with the Portugal international extending his contract.