Barcelona make contact over Mahrez
Martin Macdonald
- 25 Mar 2022 06:55 CDT
- 5 min read
Barcelona have allegedly made contact with the representatives or Riyad Mahrez to discuss a potential summer transfer for the Algerian.
Mahrez has been in sparkling form for Manchester City this season, with 22 goals scored and seven assists recorded in 24 starts in all competitions.
Due to the extremely intense competition for places at City, he is never guaranteed a starting berth week-to-week, however.
He remains a key player, but with his contract expiring in 2023, Barcelona are hoping to take advantage to sign him for a discounted fee before Man City lose him for free, according to FootMercato.
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Barca are in the middle of a squad rebuild under Xavi and signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres on permanent deals in the January transfer window.
They will likely be very busy this summer too, and have been linked with big names like Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen.
One area that needs addressed in the Barca squad is the right wing position, as it appears inevitable that Ousmane Dembele will leave on a free transfer at the end of the season.
With Adama Traore unlikely to be signed permanently, too, reinforcements will be needed on the flank.
Mahrez is also being tracked by Real Madrid, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, though, and the Blaugrana will be keen to avoid a bidding war due to their financial situation.
As well as Mahrez, Barcelona are interested in Leeds United winger Raphinha, who could be available for €60 million if the club stay in the Premier League, or €25m if they suffer relegation.
What is Mahrez's transfer value?
Mahrez has been a hugely successful signing for Man City, helping the club to two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, and two League Cups.
FootballTransfers values him at €40m.
FootballTransfers' transfer valuations are calculated in collaboration with SciSports, a world-leading football analytics agency that assesses the relative transfer valuations of over 60,000 professional footballers worldwide.
SciSports use multiple data points including current and potential ability, contract length, form, age, and other crucial factors.
