The president of Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli reportedly travelled to London on Tuesday to try and sign Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez.
According to James Benge, writing for CBS Soccer, Waleed Muaath made the trip in an attempt to secure another big name for a league that is seeking to become huge in the coming years.
Cristiano Ronaldo, of course, plays for Al-Nassr these days.
He’ll be joined in the division by Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante, who are signing for Al-Ittihad.
Al Ahli president Waleed Muaath travelled to London to hold talks about signing Riyad Mahrez
On Tuesday, Waleed Muaath apparently made the journey to London to hold talks about signing City star Mahrez.
Mahrez himself would have been back in Manchester though.
The Algerian and the rest of the City squad flew back home from the FA Cup final on Saturday night after beating Manchester United 2-1 at Wembley.
Ilkay Gundogan was the hero, scoring both of City’s goals.
Mahrez was an unused substitute down in London. That, after scoring a hat-trick in the semi-final against Sheffield United.
The 32-year-old will now hope to start the Champions League final on Saturday against Inter. But Pep Guardiola may well not make any changes to the team that started against United.
There is no word on how the talks went with Waleed Muaath.
And there is no suggestion at this stage that Mahrez would be keen on a move to Saudi.
Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez may fancy a move to Saudi Arabia, as president Waleed Muaath travels to London
It is very possible Mahrez – who signed for City for £60 million -might just fancy a move to the Saudi Pro League. Fans should definitely look out for updates on this story.
He is 32 now, and players of that age tend to seek big final pay days before retiring.
That said, Mahrez is easily still good enough to play at the highest level. He has continued to improve despite his advancing years.
It just depends on what he wants at this stage.
Paris Saint-Germain has always felt like a natural next move for the French-speaking Mahrez. If he isn’t wanting to stay with City, then perhaps a move to the Parc des Prince could appeal.
