As reported by The Daily Star, Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez tried to force through a move to Manchester United on transfer deadline day.
What’s the story?
It’s often intriguing to hear the behind-the-scenes stories of transfer deadline day as details are revealed on the deals that nearly went through at the last-minute. That’s no less true this year and it seems Manchester United were at the heart of a dramatic late push from one player to leave his club.
The Star say that Riyad Mahrez was given permission to leave international duty last week as he and his agents attempted to line up a transfer to Manchester United.
The paper reckon that after Ivan Perisic’s move from Inter Milan to Old Trafford broke down, Mahrez’s representatives were looking to give Jose Mourinho another option on the wing.
The Red Devils didn’t bite though, with Leicester City looking for a whopping £50m for their man, according to the report.
What could he have offered United?
With Jose Mourinho’s side in such rampant form right now, it’s hard to tell whether Mahrez would have outright improved the starting eleven at Old Trafford. When teams are at the top of their game though, it’s easy to forget how important squad depth is over the course of a season and that’s something Mahrez would have offered.
There’s no doubt the Algerian international is an effective English Premier League talent on his day, even if he failed to hit the heights last season of his performance in Leicester City’s title-winning campaign.
His four goals and two assists in last season’s UEFA Champions League show that he can still excel at the top level and adding that kind of contribution to their European squad may have excellent for United.
Unless anything dramatic happens in January though, it seems we’ll always be left wondering about what he could have done in a United shirt this season.
