Chelsea
Conte Holds Talks With Attacker Ahead Of £46.5m Chelsea Bid
Antonio Conte has held talks with Riyad Mahrez over a move to Chelsea with the Blues prepared to pay Leicester £46.5m for the attacker
Managers are now pressing ahead with their plans for the final days of the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Chelsea are linked with Riyad Mahrez…
Antonio Conte has held talks with Riyad Mahrez over a move to Chelsea with the Blues prepared to pay Leicester £46.5m for the attacker this summer, according to a report in the Express.
Mahrez has been hotly tipped to leave the King Power this summer after handing in a transfer request at the end of last season and he’s attracted interest from a number of top European clubs.
However, no club has been able to strike a deal with Leicester as the Foxes are refusing to sell the attacker on the cheap as he still has several years left on his contract.
Manager Craig Shakespeare recently confirmed that Mahrez wants to join a top six club but insists they won’t sell unless they receive an offer they deem suitable for their best player.
Shakespeare is quoted as saying by the Express:
“He wants to play for a top-six club. If we don’t get an offer from a top-six club, he stays.
“If that offer comes in and it’s not enough, he stays. It is quite clear for me at the moment, he has made that statement but he is our player.”
It seems Chelsea have now stepped-up their interest in Mahrez as the Express are citing a report from Tribal Football that claims Conte has held talks with the player about a move to Stamford Bridge.
The newspaper report says Chelsea are prepared to offer Leicester £46.5m in exchange for the Algeria international, which should prove to be a very tempting bid, and Mahrez is understood to be keen on the move.
Conte is expected to be extremely busy over the next few days and Mahrez would offer the Blues boss another top class option in attack if he completes a move to west London.
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He played a pivotal role in helping Leicester win the title in 2015/16 after providing 17 goals and 10 assists so Mahrez would be a superb addition if Chelsea could get him back playing at that sort of level.
