Riyad Mahrez Manchester City Transfer Rumours Dismissed by Pep Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has dismissed speculation linking winger Riyad Mahrez with a possible departure this summer. 

It was reported by Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail this week the Algeria international is not happy with life at the Etihad Stadium and ready to leave the club.

Ahead of City's crucial showdown with Manchester United in the Premier League on Wednesday, Guardiola was asked about Mahrez and whether there was any chance he would be on the move at the end of his first season with the club, per Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News:

"Riyad will be with us for the next season here and the next one and the next one. I don’t need to speak with him [about it]. He will be with us next season.

"He is a player for us. We are delighted with his behaviour and the way he plays. He knows—and everybody knows—the competition in the squad but he is happy and we are happy."

Football writer Simon Curtis noted that the speculation doesn't come at an ideal time for City:

Mahrez arrived from Leicester City ahead of the current campaign, having established himself as one of the best wingers in the Premier League. His ability to play on the right flank and cut inside was expected to give City another dimension in attack.

However, his debut campaign has been a mixed one. In all competitions, Mahrez has managed to score 11 goals for City, although some of his performances have been poor.

In the recent loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League, Mahrez was given an opportunity to start and underwhelmed, as football journalist Tom Williams noted:

The 28-year-old has shown his quality in previous years in the Premier League and will feel he can reach those standards again with a string of regular games.

The issue at City is there is so much competition for places and the pursuit of multiple prizes means rotation is inevitable. With Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling excelling on the flanks for Guardiola's side, even Leroy Sane has had to make do with being on the bench.

Bleacher Report's Dean Jones noted the German is regularly left out in crunch games:

City made a big investment Mahrez, and Guardiola clearly envisages him being at the club for a long time. For the winger, making himself an established member of the starting XI will be a big challenge.