Riyad Mahrez to Liverpool: Reds make contact... but there's a catch
LIVERPOOL have reportedly made contact with Leicester over Riyad Mahrez... but not to inform them of their interest.
Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho is understood to be closing in on a move to Barcelona in a deal worth around £142million.
Reports in Spain have suggested Coutinho will fly to Barcelona today, while his team-mates travel to Dubai for warm-weather training.
And with Coutinho set to leave, replacements for the Brazilian have been rumoured to be under consideration.
Mahrez, who handed in a transfer request in the summer, has been among those names mentioned and his Leicester manager Claude Puel has expressed his desire to keep hold of the Algeria international.
Reuters
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I don’t know where he’d get into the side. But you can see him, on his day, he can be a match-winner
But according to PA reporter Carl Markham, Liverpool are NOT interested in Mahrez.
He wrote on Twitter: “Understand Liverpool have contacted Leicester directly to tell them they have no interest in winger Riyad Mahrez - among a number of first-teamers left out of the Foxes' FA Cup team at Fleetwood - and speculation is "complete fabrication”.
“I presume this stems from the fall-out from the Van Dijk shambles last summer with LFC not wanting to be wrongly tarred with that brush again.”
When asked if he would take Mahrez if Coutinho went, Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool defender Phil Thompson said: “Yes.
PA
“I don’t know where he’d get into the side. But you can see him, on his day, he can be a match-winner.
“He can but he’s not done it enough and whether that’s because he’s been unhappy there or whatever.
“But this boy’s got tremendous talent, you see the quality that he brings.
“He can take it from A to B very very quickly which relieves pressure at times. Yeah he’s a talent, I’d take him for £20million! In my dreams.”
