Manchester City have reportedly rejected a first offer of £18 million from Al Ahli for Riyad Mahrez.
The Treble winners are not about to make it easy for the Saudi Pro League outfit.
Mahrez is being targeted by them and would perhaps become the second most high profile move to the SPL after Karim Benzema joined Al Ittihad.
They feel there is a strong chance to get him, after he played fewer minutes towards the end of last season.
Mahrez lost prominence and was then denied the chance to start in the FA Cup final and the Champions League final.
That is something that is said to have upset the player.
As a result, Mahrez is reported to have given the green light to Al Ahli. They have supposedly even already scheduled a medical for the player.
But they need to reach an agreement with City. They’ve made first bid, which has apparently been rejected.
Man City reject £18 million bid for Riyad Mahrez from Al Ahli
According to the Daily Mail, City have knocked back an opening offer from Al Ahli for Mahrez.
It was supposedly worth around £18 million.
Seemingly, Al Ahli are banking on Mahrez agitating for a move.
£18 million is definitely a lowball offer. But if Mahrez really wants to go, City may have no choice but to eventually accept an offer in that region.
Apparently, Mahrez has already agreed personal terms with Al Ahli.
He is said to have asked City to let him leave the club this summer.
Mahrez is worth much more than £18 million
Mahrez is easily worth more than £18 million.
He scored 15 goals last season and also provided 13 assists last term. Those are great numbers considering he wasn’t always a starter.
He is still one of the best wingers in the world and has two years left on his contract. Guardiola may not have started him much towards the end of last season, but he still called him an ‘exceptional’ player after his hat-trick against Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final.
Al Ahli need to be offering much more for City to sell.
But it really could be that they are hoping City will buckle under the pressure of having a player who wants to leave.
It remains to be seen if City dig their heels in.
For now, it seems as though Al Ahli will need to offer more money.
