Manchester City have broken their club record to sign winger Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City for £60m.
The 27-year-old Algerian is the Blues’ first signing since they won the Premier League title.
They walked away from a potential deal for Mahrez in January because they were put off by Leicester’s valuation.
Mahrez handed in a transfer request but stayed at the club, scoring 12 league goals in 36 games as the Foxes finished ninth in the Premier League.
He later said he had “regrets” over the dispute, during which the Professional Footballers’ Association offered to be a mediator between club and player.
City were thought to have offered £50m at the time, but the final fee exceeds the £57m they paid Atletico Madrid for defender Aymeric Laporte in January.
Mahrez joined Leicester from Le Havre for £400,000 in 2014, and was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year during their surprise Premier League triumph in 2015-16.
He scored 48 goals in 179 appearances for the Foxes.
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What do Manchester City get for £60m? Mahrez scored 48 Leicester goals, with 39 of them coming in the Premier LeagueIn his four seasons at Leicester, Mahrez created 27 goals.Only Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen (214) and Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha (234) attempted more dribbles than his 176 last season.Since Mahrez made his Premier League debut in 2014, only eight players – Eden Hazard, Diego Costa, Eriksen, Jamie Vardy, Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane – have been involved in more goals. Only four players created more goals than Mahrez in the Premier League last season
Source: bbc.com
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