Manchester City are in talks to sign Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez in a deal which would take the club’s spending since Pep Guardiola took charge past £500million.
City decided to enter the market at the 11th hour, after it was confirmed Leroy Sane would miss the next six weeks with an ankle injury.
Mahrez has been keen to leave Leicester City since the summer, with his representatives doing their utmost to generate interest from Europe’s top clubs, but his club are reluctant to sell.
However, City are keen to push for an unprecedented Quadruple and Guardiola wants Mahrez, whose Leicester contract runs until 2020, to bolster their pursuit of domestic and European glory.
The Algerian is keen on a move to Etihad Stadium but City will, in all probability, have to surpass the club-record £57m figure agreed for Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday's game against West Brom, Guardiola said of Mahrez: “It’s not the place to talk about it. It’s so difficult. It happened with [Aymeric] Laporte because it was a buy-out clause. When you have to negotiate it’s always complicated.”
Asked generally about deadline-day signings, before the reports of a firm Mahrez bid, Guardiola said: “I don’t know. I don’t think so but in football everything can happen. I am 95-99 per cent that nothing is going to happen.”
Elsewhere, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is on the verge of leaving Manchester United, after entering the final six months of his deal at Old Trafford.
The 36-year-old striker recently recovered from a cruciate knee ligament injury but has looked well below the required level in seven appearances this term.
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L’Equipe say Ibrahimovic is on the brink of moving to join LA Galaxy, with Alexis Sanchez’s arrival further limiting his opportunities at United.
Brighton were this morning in talks over a £3m deal for Wigan’s Nick Powell, while Everton were interested in taking Eliaquim Mangala on loan from Manchester City.
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