Arsenal eye next major signing with Premier League raid

Arsenal are ready to make their second major splash in the transfer window by stepping up their interest in Leicester City ace Riyad Mahrez, reports The Independent.

Mahrez signed a new long-term deal with Leicester last summer after turning down the chance to join the Gunners but has since told the Foxes he wants to leave the club this summer.

The Algeria international’s dream is to join Barcelona but the 26-year-old appears to have missed out on the chance of moving to the Camp Nou and Arsene Wenger is now keen on bringing the tricky winger to north London.

Arsenal broke their club-transfer record to sign Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon on Thursday and the Gunners will need another big fee, reported to be in excess of €40m (£35.3m), to land Mahrez.

Wenger’s side are currently having difficulty moving in the transfer window due to the fact they still haven’t resolved Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil’s futures at the club, but they are still trying to get deals done.

The Arsenal manager hinted at a fresh move for Mahrez at the end of the season and now the Frenchman is reportedly ready to take their interest to the next level.

Mahrez, who was crowned the PFA Player of the Year following Leicester’s shock title win in the 2015/16 campaign, endured a difficult campaign last season but did at least enter the final few months in good form.

In the last two Premier League campaigns only Dele Alli (44), Mesut Ozil, Christian Eriksen (both 42) and Kevin De Bruyne (40) have scored and assisted more goals than Mahrez (37).

For more stats on Riyad Mahrez, click here to visit his WhoScored player page