Ranieri claims Riyad Mahrez will stay at Leicester City

riyad-mahrez-leicester
riyad-mahrez-leicester

Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri has insisted that star winger Riyad Mahrez wants to stay at the Foxes.

Despite being offered a lucrative new contract, the reigning PFA Players’ Player of the Year has been strongly linked with a move away from the King Power Stadium this summer with European giants including Arsenal, Barcelona and Manchester City thought to be interested for his services.

But Ranieri has stated that the Premier League champions have finished their transfer business for the current window and that the club expects no further activity until the transfer window closes.

Speaking after a 2-1 friendly win at Oxford on Tuesday, the Italian coach said: “I think everybody here is happy. It’s finished, the market has finished.”

“Everybody here is happy and, yes, he ­[Mahrez] wants to stay. No other players will go away – we will stay together. Riyad will stay with us for all of the years.”

The 25-year-old scored 17 goals and provided 11 assists to help the Foxes lift the Premier League title last season and appeared likely to leave the club this summer in a £45 million deal.

Several first team players of Leicester’s title winning side have been linked with moves away from the club, but Foxes skipper Wes Morgan recently followed English striker Jamie Vardy to sign a new contract and extend their stay at the King Power.

However, French midfielder N’Golo Kante joined fellow Premier League club Chelsea for a reported fee of £30 million, making him club’s biggest transfer sale till date.

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