Could Riyad Mahrez finally get his move away from Leicester City in the January transfer window?
Steve McClaren has told Sky Sports that Riyad Mahrez deserves to be playing in the Champions League and will get the chance to leave Leicester City this January.
Mahrez’s form in the first half of the season may have put him back in the shop window, with five goals in his last 10 games contributing to an overall tally of seven goals and seven assists in the Premier League.
Former England manager McClaren feels that the time has now come for Mahrez to “go to the next level” and that his Foxes performances warrant him a move to an elite club.
McClaren told Sky Sports: “Mahrez is a player who should be playing in the Champions League, he should be playing in a top-four team. I think this window will be his opportunity.
“Leicester did very well to keep him last summer, I think he has delivered up until January and I think himself and his agent will now be looking at the next stage of his career.
“He needs to step up and go to the next level. He is definitely one that has seen his time out at Leicester, and should be looking at a Champions League club at this country or abroad.”
The Gunners’ activity in the transfer market will likely depend on whether Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil sign extensions to the contracts which expire at the end of the season.
Mahrez and his agent are likely to have one eye on the situation…
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