Arsenal Face Battle With Chelsea Over Signing Of £50m Attacker

Managers are now pressing ahead with their plans for the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Chelsea are ready to battle-it-out with Arsenal over the signing of Riyad Mahrez…

Chelsea have turned their attention to Riyad Mahrez and are ready to battle-it-out with Arsenal over the signing of the £50m-rated Leicester City attacker this summer, according to a report in the Metro.

Antonio Conte won the Premier League title in his first season in English football but he knows he needs to further strengthen his squad if he’s to defend his title and compete in the Champions League next season.

A new attacker to offer support to Eden Hazard and Pedro is on the agenda and the Metro are citing a report from the Evening Standard that claims Chelsea have now switched their focus to Mahrez after failing to sign Dries Mertens.

The Belgian international was reportedly Conte’s prime target but Mertens snubbed the interest from West London to sign a new deal at Napoli so the Blues boss is now eyeing Mahrez instead.

The 26-year-old is set to leave Leicester this summer after handing in a written transfer request and he’s been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal in recent weeks.

Arsene Wenger is also in the market for attacking reinforcements and the Gunners boss was quoted by the Independent as saying earlier this month that a bid for Mahrez could be on the cards.

Arsenal tried to lure the Algerian international to the Emirates last summer but they could now renew their interest amid doubts over the future’s of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.

However, it looks like the north Londoners will face some stiff competition this time around as Chelsea can offer Mahrez Champions League football as well as the opportunity to play for the defending champions.

Mahrez was outstanding for Leicester during the 2015/16 campaign when he scored 17 goals and provided a further 10 assists to help the Foxes win a shock title and lift the PFA Player of the Year Award.

He struggled to replicate that kind of form last season but Mahrez still showed flashes of his brilliance, especially in Europe, so I think he’d still be a superb signing for either Arsenal or Chelsea.

READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news | Chelsea transfer news

However, Leicester aren’t ready to let their star man leave on the cheap as the Metro suggest it will take an offer of around £50m to tempt them in to a deal so the London duo better be prepared to dig deep if they want to sign the attacker.