The Saudi Pro League is trying to start a new era for itself. It could be said that it started when Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Al Nassr in January, but now things have really taken off. A lot of the transfers so far have been for older European stars, but now even younger players are committed to the project. 26-year-old Ruben Neves has joined Al Hilal from Wolves for £47M. Even younger Portuguese winger Jota joins Al-Ittihad from Celtic at just 24 years old. Now it looks like the league’s next big target is Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez.
Sam Lee of The Athletic is reporting that Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli is prepared to make a bid for Mahrez. The bid is believed to be worth £30M, which is a five million pound increase from the club’s previous approach. Lee states that Mahrez is yet to make a decision, but Al-Ahli will really push for the Algerian winger. He is seen as their top priority for the remainder of the summer, and given the money they can offer, there’s a significant chance Mahrez could leave City. It should be noted that his current contract runs until 2025.
Mahrez has been at Manchester City since 2018 and has been an important player through that time. Even with that said, most will think of Riyad Mahrez as a Leicester City legend, as he recorded 27 goal contributions in their historic Premier League winning season.
Manchester City just won the treble, and perhaps one of the consequences of that is players feel they’ve completed their journey at the club. Ilkay Gundogan has left for Barcelona, while Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte, Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva could all leave this summer. Riyad Mahrez joining the list could complicate the club’s transfer strategy and put them in a position where they need to sign a forward.