Barcelona Transfer News: Big Switch in Riyad Mahrez, Marco Reus Rumours

Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez has reportedly moved ahead of Borussia Dortmund playmaker Marco Reus on Barcelona's transfer wish list.

According to Martin Lipton in the Sun, Barca manager Luis Enrique has "told the Camp Nou bosses to make Mahrez their priority this summer," and the La Liga giants are preparing a £15 million bid for the Algerian winger.

The report added that he had eclipsed Reus as the Blaugrana's No. 1 target and suggested Mahrez may be tempted to move to the European champions despite having a contract with Leicester until 2019.

The 25-year-old has been arguably the Premier League's best player this season and has played a huge role as the Foxes have become title front-runners, per Bleacher Report UK:

Reus has also had another decent season for Dortmund—scoring nine goals and providing three assists in 19 Bundesliga appearances, per WhoScored.com—but he would likely cost a lot more than Mahrez and continues to struggle with fitness issues.

Leicester could certainly demand more than £15 million for Mahrez and would undoubtedly be loath to sell him on given how vital he has been this season.

Equally, the former Le Havre player would surely play a far smaller role at Barca than he currently does for the Foxes.

Despite his immense form this term, there is little possibility that Mahrez could oust Lionel Messi or Neymar from the starting wide roles under Enrique.

Arda Turan would also potentially be ahead of him in the pecking order, and Mahrez would play more of a backup part in Barca's squad.

He may not be open to such a scenario even if it did mean playing for arguably the best team in the world.

Leicester are currently leading the Premier League by five points, and it is very much their title to lose, per Bleacher Report's Dean Jones:

They will surely be a Champions League side next season, and they should then be able to afford to keep hold of players like Mahrez.

It is understandable that Barca should be targeting the forward. His style of play would be effective in La Liga, and he has proved his ability this season as both a goalscorer and a provider.

However, he might be a risky purchase, as he has only shown form worthy of a Barcelona player in the current campaign, and it is not a guarantee that he will be able to reproduce it in the seasons to come.

It also may be a tricky signing to pull off, as Mahrez is contracted for another three years at the King Power Stadium and may feel inclined to stay put at Leicester.