The golden age of Leicester City is coming to an end, and one of their top assets is leaving the club for good.
Following a rather disappointing season by the defending EPL champions, Riyad Mahrez has submitted a transfer request to leave the Foxes. In a brief statement, the Algerian ace pledged loyalty to the team, but his decision had already been made.
"Out of the huge admiration and respect I hold for Leicester I wanted to be totally honest and transparent. I have informed the club that I feel now is the time for me to move on," the press release states.
"I had a good discussion with the chairman last summer and we agreed at that time that I would stay for another year in order to help the club as best as I could following the transition of winning the title and in the Champions League," the player added.
Mahrez was key for Leicester's enchanting run in the 2015-2016 season, where the team led by Claudio Ranieri shocked the world by winning the EPL title. Unfortunately for them, the follow-up season wasn't as good neither for the entire team nor for the Algerian ace.
6 - Riyad Mahrez scored just six times in the Premier League last season, compared to 17 goals in 2015/16. Dip.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 30, 2017
"The relationship I share with the club and our amazing fans are something I will treasure forever and I truly hope they will understand and respect my decision," the player's statement concluded.
Arsenal and Monaco have already been linked with the Algerian footballer. Reports by the BBC suggest Leicester City will ask for £35M to let the 2016 African Player of the Year leave.
