LONDON: Italy’s AS Roma is preparing to step up its pursuit of Leicester City’s wantaway Algerian midfielder Riyad Mahrez with a revised third bid of around £35m reportedly in the offing for the 2016 PFA Player of the Year.
Mahrez has been strongly linked all summer with a move to Leicester’s English Premier League rival Arsenal, but it appears Gunners boss Arsene Wenger sees him as a fall-back option if approaches for AS Monaco’s Thomas Lemar do not come to fruition.
Contrastingly, Roma’s manager Eusebio Di Francesco has identified Mahrez as a key signing and the 26-year-old winger is understandably keen to finalize his future long before the transfer window closes later this month.
“I know Roma came in, but nothing was accepted so there is little I can do,” Mahrez told Sky Sports News following Leicester’s 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach in a pre-season friendly on Friday evening.
“They (Roma) are a great club who I would like to talk to, but I cannot until Leicester accept a deal.
“Leicester know my thoughts, but I will continue to give my best for the club as I always have.
“Clearly, it is flattering whenever you get linked with any big clubs, but as it stands, I have not talked to anyone as nobody has had a bid accepted, but we nearly have a month left of the transfer window so we will see what happens.”
Meanwhile, Roma’s sporting director Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo, also known as ‘Monchi’, has joined Wenger in criticizing Neymar’s world record transfer from FC Barcelona to Qatar-backed Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for £200m.
“Neymar? It makes me feel a bit scared and uncomfortable,” Monchi told the assembled press as the Giallorossi officially unveiled Turkish striker Cengiz Under as their latest signing.
“I don’t know where we’re going and I don’t want to think we’re building an artificial bubble that will explode in the future, like the property bubble, which has done so much damage to the global economy.
“You know my history; I’m not someone that buys very expensive players.
“I respect what PSG have done, but whether it’s legal or not, the institutions will tell us.
“Personally, this millionaire show makes me uncomfortable and scares me, especially now, when the non-footballing economy tells us that many people are suffering in their everyday lives. When we should be a mirror, sometimes we’re not.”
Roma back in for Leicester’s Algeria midfielder Mahrez
Roma back in for Leicester’s Algeria midfielder Mahrez
Real Madrid edge Valencia to stay on Barca’s tail, Atletico slump
- After Spanish champions Barca had beaten Mallorca on Saturday, Alvaro Arbeloa’s Madrid eked out a tight victory at Mestalla to keep the pressure on their arch-rivals
BARCELONA: Kylian Mbappe scored his 23rd goal of the season in La Liga to help Real Madrid claim a battling 2-0 win at Valencia on Sunday and close the gap to leaders Barcelona to one point.
Third-place Atletico Madrid slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Real Betis, three days after thrashing the Andalusian side in the Copa del Rey, falling further away from the top two.
After Spanish champions Barca had beaten Mallorca on Saturday, Alvaro Arbeloa’s Madrid eked out a tight victory at Mestalla to keep the pressure on their arch-rivals.
Missing suspended forward Vinicius Junior and injured midfielder Jude Bellingham, Los Blancos lacked sparkle but did enough to claim three points on Spain’s east coast.
Alvaro Carreras put the visitors ahead midway through the second half and Mbappe struck late on to seal their win.
“It was going to be a game where we had to have a lot of patience. I think it was a win that came because of how solid we were, and our focussed performance,” said Arbeloa.
“I think that we were fair winners.”
England international Trent Alexander-Arnold made his return after injury as a substitute in the second half of Madrid’s victory.
Arda Guler and Mbappe had chances in the first half, while Madrid right-back David Jimenez, from the club’s youth academy, came closest to scoring but was denied by goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
Midway through the second half, Carreras conjured a goal out of nothing to give Madrid the lead.
Coming in from the left, the defender used his weaker right foot to stroke the ball inside Dimitrievski’s near post.
Valencia might have levelled but Lucas Beltran’s effort on the stretch clipped the post.
Madrid eventually secured the three points in stoppage time as Brahim Diaz teed up La Liga’s top scorer Mbappe to finish from close range.
“Right now he’s the best player in the world, for what he’s showing day after day and game after game,” said Arbeloa, who reiterated that Mbappe could live up to his boyhood idol Cristiano Ronaldo’s legacy at Real Madrid.
“As I’ve said before, it seemed like Cristiano was something alien, impossible to equal, and that nobody would get close, but Kylian is on a good path... it’s not easy, obviously, but if anyone can, it’s Kylian.”
Valencia’s fans, some of whom had waved white handkerchieves during the match in protest at the club’s situation, headed for the exits with Los Che 17th, one point above the drop zone.
“It’s normal that (the fans) are nervous, I would be too,” admitted Valencia captain Jose Gaya to DAZN.
Revenge mission
Antony’s first-half strike helped Betis win at Atletico, earning his side revenge for their cup mauling, and leaving Atletico 13 points behind leaders Barcelona.
Betis, fifth, continued their push toward the top four, now trailing fourth-placed Villarreal by four points, although they have played two more matches than the Yellow Submarine.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico waltzed into the Copa del Rey semifinals with a hefty 5-0 win at Betis on Thursday, but this was a far closer affair at Atletico’s Metropolitano stadium.
“It’s a tough defeat to take after the great game we had in the cup. We weren’t as good as the other day,” admitted Atletico captain Koke to Movistar.
“They set up a lot tighter at the back... We had very few chances and they played a great game.”
Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini made five changes to the team which crumbled at home and his side were determined to prove a point in the Spanish capital.
“I’m very happy for the goal and even more so for the victory — it’s been a very difficult week,” said Antony, who curled home after 28 minutes, beating Jan Oblak at his near post.
“We had to change, there was no other option... we’re sorry (to the fans) for the game in the cup.”
Atletico had the ball in Betis’s net with 15 minutes to go when Diego Llorente headed Giuliano Simeone’s cross into his own net, but Antoine Griezmann was judged to be fractionally offside and interfering with play.
Elsewhere, Athletic Bilbao beat Levante 4-2, Sevilla and Girona shared a 1-1 draw, and Getafe won 2-0 at Alaves.
