Chelsea, PSG ‘keenly interested’ Riyad Mahrez — report

Riyad Mahrez is in his fourth year at Manchester City, and he’s having his best time yet, with 20 goals scored already in all competitions for the first time in his career. Excellent timing on his part, too, with his contract about to enter its final year!

Considering that he turned 31 last month, an extension with City is far from a foregone conclusion. In fact, according to Foot Mercato, PSG are sniffing about for a potential €30-40m transfer at the end of the season, seeing him as the heir to Angel Di María, whose own contract expires this season (PSG do an have option to extend).

But no transfer rumor can exist without an alternative option, which is where Chelsea come in (thanks, Roman!). The report also claims that Chelsea are “keenly interested”, which would possibly be true if this were 2017, but seems like a whole lot of nonsense in 2022.

Signing someone like Mahrez, regardless of his proven Premier League quality, to say the least, would run contrary to just about every bit of business in the last ten years, and that’s unlikely to change even if the name at the top of the club hierarchy is about to change. (And especially as it’s likely to change to someone a lot less frivolously generous towards the club.)

Meanwhile, on the outgoing side of silly transfer rumors, Timo Werner was recently linked with Borussia Dortmund, but unsurprisingly they cannot afford his salary.

Sky Deutschland add that Werner himself may not be inclined to leave, although that could yet change in the coming months — always leave yourself an out in your rumor-mongering!