Leicester demand almost £100m for Manchester City target

Leicester have made it clear to Manchester City they must pay almost £100m to sign Riyad Mahrez before Wednesday’s 11pm deadline, claims The Daily Mail.

Mahrez has emerged as a shock transfer target for City in the last 24 hours following news Leroy Sane will be sidelined for up to seven weeks with ankle ligament damage.

City tabled an improved £55m offer on Wednesday morning but it was rejected as Claude Puel’s side dig their heels in over Mahrez’s departure on the final day of the transfer window.

Pep Guardiola’s side have already broken their club transfer record this month after announcing the £57m arrival of Athletic Club defender Aymeric Laporte on Tuesday and will need to shatter that again to have any chance of landing Mahrez.

The 26-year-old is desperate to join City and has even handed in a transfer request in order to force through a move, but it will require more than that to convince Leicester to sell.

Mahrez also handed in a transfer request at the end of last season but Leicester refused to buckle even when Roma were willing to make the former PFA Player of the Year the most expensive player in their club’s history.

The Algerian has rediscovered his best form for Leicester this season, playing a direct hand in six more goals than he managed over the course of the last campaign (15).