Leicester City star Riyad Mahrez is reportedly Jurgen Klopp’s No.1 transfer target according to Italian newspaper Tutto Mercato. Liverpool have been previously linked with Mahrez as well, when the winger was in the form of his life guiding Leicester to their miraculous title win last season. But now, Jurgen Klopp has made the Algerian as his primary transfer target.
Now that Leicester are in the relegation battle, trying to stay alive in Premier League after their dream run last season, this might be an attempt from Liverpool to lift the player out of the sinking team.
It does make sense for Liverpool as Mahrez, despite his poor form this season, remains a wonderful talent. If Leicester get relegated, he will, in fact, come at a really low price than what he is actually worthy of.
Mahrez had a miracle season last year, having scored 18 goals and assisted 10. He was the PFA player of the year and as it was expected, there was a lot of demand for the winger last summer. Somehow, he still is a Leicester player.
Now with their magic manager Claudio Ranieri gone, the club might lose stability and a lot will rest on Leicester’s next choice of manager.
However, the prospect of playing for Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp would be hard to turn down. Liverpool have been impressive this season, but only in flashes. They’ve been inconsistent with their performances and have dropped a lot of points against smaller clubs. Leicester were the latest to inflict damage on the Reds and signing Mahrez would be a great move as he will bring a lot of quality to the Liverpool squad.
Sadio Mane has been the main man for Liverpool this season and they struggled to cope without him when he was on national duty, playing in The Africa Cup Of Nations 2017. This would certainly have worried Klopp and it would be a wise move to bring in a quality player who can compete for a place in the team. Mahrez has scored 7 goals and provided 4 assists for a team that has struggled badly this season and hence a change of scenario would be good for him as well.
Will Mahrez suit the Liverpool style of play is a different question altogether, but from an off the pitch perspective, the move looks like a sensible one.
