Arsenal Transfer News: Latest on Riyad Mahrez and Bruno Peres Rumours

Arsenal's pursuit of Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez has reportedly been dealt a sudden blow after the Foxes' chairman issued a "hands-off warning" on his star. Meanwhile, the north Londoners have asked how much it will cost to buy Torino defender Bruno Peres.

Leicester chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha took to his official Instagram account and posted an image of himself gripping Mahrez by the ears, and TeamTalk provided a glimpse at the photo in question:

The Mirror's Alec Shilton highlighted Srivaddhanaprabha's hands-on approach to retaining his star, as the caption read: "VS: You not for sale!! Mahrez: Ok boss."

Arsenal have been the most fervently linked side associated with the Algeria attacker this summer, and WhoScored.com crunched the numbers before pointing to Mahrez as one of the Premier League's best playmakers:

The 2015-16 Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year appears content enough in the picture alongside his employer, but it's unclear as to whether he intends to remain at the King Power Stadium.

Shilton also provided quotes from Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri, who admitted his player may be "distracted" by a summer of exit "rumours and speculation."

Steve Bardens/Getty Images

A report recently emerged from Algerian publication Le Buteur (h/t Sun's John Hutchinson), which suggested Mahrez was close to a £37 million Arsenal move, but it now seems a deal is less likely to happen.

Metro blogger Oli Price-Bates noted the same source emerged with new claims relating to Mahrez and a move to the Emirates Stadium, but Srivaddhanaprabha seems intent on not allowing the transfer to materialise:

Meanwhile, Arsenal are reported to have made a new enquiry regarding the availability of Torino defender Peres days after having a €16 million (£13.5 million) bid rejected, per Italian newspaper Tuttosport (h/t Sport Witness' Lucas Sposito).

Hayters Sports Agency reporter Simon Collings recently said the Gunners have been in attendance to watch the right-back in action:

Peres primarily plays on the right side of defence but formerly functioned in a more advanced midfield role before being pulled into the back line following Matteo Darmian's 2015 switch to Manchester United.

Torino are now at risk of losing another star to the Premier League, with Arsenal seemingly intent on following up their interest in the utility man, who scored three goals and made four assists in Serie A last season.