Man City submit £90m bid for Declan Rice, Riyad Mahrez next on Al-Ahli transfer wish list – Paper Round

Man City bid for Rice

Manchester City have submitted an official bid of £80m plus £10m in add-ons for West Ham captain Declan Rice, The Athletic reports. The Premier League champions are out to beat Arsenal in the race to sign the England international, although City’s initial bid is the same amount as the Gunners’ rejected bid last week.

“City are already set to complete a deal for Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic imminently, with Ilkay Gundogan sealing a move to Barcelona on a free transfer.”

Mahrez next on Al-Ahli wish list

Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli will target Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez once they wrap up deals for Roberto Firmino and Edouard Mendy, the Daily Mail reports. Mendy is set to swap Chelsea for the Saudi Pro League, just like N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly, while Firmino is close to joining after leaving Liverpool as a free agent. And amid a spate of signings across the league, Al-Ahli have their eyes on a Treble winner.

“He will be 33 in February and the Al-Ahli offer is five-times bigger than the £8.5m-a-year contract extension he signed at City last summer.”

PSG want quick Mbappe decision

Paris Saint-Germain want a swift resolution regarding Kylian Mbappe and expect the striker to make a quick decision about his future, Le Parisien reports. Mbappe sent PSG a letter earlier this month informing the Ligue 1 champions of his decision not to renew his contract beyond next summer. PSG, however, are unwilling for that to play out given it would allow Real Madrid to sign the player for free in 2024. Their stance is therefore clear.

“The position of owner Nasser Al-Khelaïfi has not changed: either the top scorer in Ligue 1 extends his contract, or he leaves Paris this summer. PSG hope that the star will decide as soon as possible.”

Aston Villa target Pau Torres

Aston Villa are hoping to drive down the price for Villarreal defender Pau Torres, the Daily Mail reports. Villa head coach Unai Emery worked with the 26-year-old during his time in Spain, but despite the interest Villa are unwilling to meet the player’s £55.5m release clause. The club, who are in next season’s Europa Conference League after finishing seventh in the Premier League, are hopeful of agreeing a deal for around £35m.

“Naturally, they don’t want to undersell a player that has been admired by Tottenham, Liverpool and Bayern Munich.”