Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has dropped a hint that the club may go back in for Riyad Mahrez in the summer.
Leicester City’s dynamic winger was one of the losers of the transfer window, having been denied yet another move away from the King Power Stadium.
City were believed to have offered a club record fee for the Algerian winger but the Foxes stood firm on their asking price, upsetting Mahrez who is desperate to secure his dream lucrative switch.
However, Mahrez may have been offered a light at the end of the tunnel, with Guardiola leaving the door open on a potential summer return bid.
Speaking to Sky Sports after his side saw off West Brom in a comprehensible 3-0 victory, the City boss offered an update on Mahrez’s situation, as reported in the Leicester Mercury, saying;
He’s a Leicester player. Everybody knows we were trying but we cannot afford, in this moment, this amount of what they are asking. I understand perfectly.
We tried to do it in the summertime, we tried to do it now, but like summer, they locked the door and we can go to the summer and holidays.
Mahrez would have been the second big signing of the window for City, who also broke their transfer record to sign France international defender Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao for £57million.
Unlike Laporte, City were not able to complete a move for Mahrez. Hinting at next summer’s transfer activity, Guardiola added;
It was not possible. With [Aymeric] Laporte yes, with the other one no.
We are going to see what happens in the summer.
