Arsenal Transfer News: Riyad Mahrez Opens Up on Summer Exit Rumours

Riyad Mahrez has spoken out about his failed summer transfer, saying Leicester City blocked moves "behind the scenes” amid frequent reports Arsenal were interested in the Algerian.

As reported by the Daily Mail (h/t Goal's Robin Bairner), Mahrez said Leicester promised him they would work on a move, only to block him when push came to shove:

"They said: ‘Yes, there will be no problems if something comes up.' But behind the scenes they were blocking me – talking to clubs but just not wanting to sell me.

"N’Golo (Kante) had a clause and when he left they stopped those clauses. They said they would never give one to anyone after that.

"But I’m confident. Contract or no contract, I believe I will get to the top. When you have quality, and show it, there’s no problem."

Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

Mahrez was a breakout star on Leicester's Premier League title-winning team in 2015-16, winning the PFA Players' Player of the Year award for his efforts. The Foxes' main stars were all linked with moves to top clubs after the Cinderella run, but while N'Golo Kante moved to Chelsea, the rest stayed put. Kante also signed a new contract.

The 2016-17 campaign was a disappointing one for Mahrez and his team-mates, and transfer speculation returned in the summer. Despite a ton of rumours, there was no movement, and both Kante and Jamie Vardy were part of the squad for the 2017-18 season.

The 26-year-old has rediscovered his form this season, with three goals and four assists in the Premier League already. As a result, plenty of pundits have started suggesting moves once again, including sportswriter and Manchester United fan Liam Canning:

Chelsea supporter John Battsek would like to see Mahrez move to London:

Links with Arsenal have been most frequent, but Gunners manager Arsene Wenger recently played down the speculation, telling reporters he will not try to bring Mahrez into the fold in January, per Metro's Simon Rice.

There's little doubt Arsenal could use the services of Mahrez, who remains an excellent player with Premier League experience and plenty of years at the top level left. Both Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are in the final year of their contracts―the Gunners will likely need to invest in the wide areas soon.

Wenger has so far ruled out selling either player in January, but it's clear he doesn't know where they'll be next season, per sports commentator Ian Abrahams:

These latest comments make it clear Mahrez still wants to play for a top club at some point in the near future, so expect the speculation to continue.