It has now been reported that Al-Ahli have made an official bid to complete a transfer for Riyad Mahrez from Manchester City, with Al-Ittihad now out of the race for his signature.
This comes from Fabrizio Romano, as it was claimed on Thursday that the £60 million (Sky Sports) man would be open to a move to Saudi Arabia.
Al-Ahli have now seemingly beaten Al-Ittihad in the chase to sign Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez ahead of the following campaign.
Al-Ahli leading Riyad Mahrez transfer battle with Al-Ittihad surrendering
It was recently claimed that Al-Ittihad were extremely keen on signing the 32-year-old after all, whose playing time has taken a dip at City.
Branded as ‘merciless’ by the Guardian in 2021, Mahrez no longer holds the same level of significance to the treble winners two years later, as he has become a mere squad player at this point.
Now, Fabrizio Romano has indeed reported that Al-Ittihad are ‘out of the race’ to sign Riyad Mahrez, with Al-Ahli having submitted an official contract bid.
In addition, negotiations are said to be ‘underway’ and talks are set to continue but Pep Guardiola’s men would only consider a sale if they end up banking a satisfactory fee.
Riyad Mahrez would likely be tempted by an exit
With Manchester City clearly not fancying Riyad Mahrez as much as in the past and him unlikely to improve significantly at 32, he would likely be enticed by a move to Al-Ahli or Al-Ittihad.
The club in question does not matter as much as a desire to become the main man elsewhere perhaps might.
Becoming one of the faces of Saudi Arabian football could also tempt Riyad Mahrez, as he calls it a day on a career in Europe which has been simply tremendous and packed with silverware.
Perhaps leaving on the ultimate high by becoming a treble-winner could push Mahrez to bid farewell to Manchester and European football.
