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Arsenal ready to pay £35m following talks to sign attacker

By on July 7, 2017

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal have made it clear they are willing to pay £35m for Riyad Mahrez after holding talks with Leicester City over a deal to sign the attacker this summer.

Mahrez has once again been strongly linked with a move to the Emirates after we failed to lure him away from the King Power Stadium last summer when he opted to stay and sign a new deal.

The 26-year-old put in some decent displays in Europe last season but he failed to replicate the kind of form in the Premier League that saw him score 17 goals to help fire the Foxes to their dramatic title in 2016.

The Algerian international is now set to leave Leicester after handing in a transfer request and Arsene Wenger admitted earlier in the summer that he was considering a fresh attempt to sign the winger.

It looks like the boss has now renewed his interest as the Daily Mail claim Arsenal have held talks with Leicester and made it clear we’re prepared to pay £35m to sign Mahrez this summer.

However, our valuation falls short of the Foxes asking price as the newspaper says Leicester are holding out for a fee nearer £50m so we still have some negotiating to do before a deal is reached.

Mahrez is expected to attend the start of pre-season training today but it remains to be seen whether he’ll still be a Leicester player by the start of the new Premier League season next month.

I’m a big fan of Mahrez and there is no doubt he’d be an excellent signing if we could get him back playing like he did during the 2015/16 campaign when he was named as the PFA Player of the Year.

READ: Wenger eyeing third summer signing

With Theo Walcott being linked with a move away from Arsenal this summer, perhaps Wenger is viewing Mahrez as a potential replacement and I think he’d be a great buy if we could snap him up for £35m.