Leicester set for contract talks with Gray as Mahrez nears exit

Leicester will open contract talks with Demarai Gray in a bid to convince the youngster to pledge his long-term future to the club, reports The Daily Mirror.

Gray only joined the Foxes from Birmingham last summer but endured a difficult maiden campaign in the Premier League and was reportedly bemused by his lack of playing time.

The 21-year-old does not have a £22m release clause as was reported earlier in the year, but Leicester want to hand the England U21 international a pay rise on his current £25,000-a-week wages to keep him this summer.

Craig Shakespeare’s side are resigned to losing Riyad Mahrez this summer and do not want Gray to follow the former PFA Player of the Year out of the club in the same window.

Roma are currently in talks with the former Premier League champions about signing Mahrez but there will have to be a significant compromise between the clubs after Leicester slapped a stunning £50m valuation on his head.

Gray was limited to just nine starts in the Premier League last season but Shakespeare is keen to hand the youngster more first-team opportunities. In fact, only Hal Robson-Kanu (24) and Shane Long (22) made more substitute appearances in the Premier League last season than Gray (21).

For more stats on Demarai Gray, click here to visit his WhoScored player page