Fresh links mean Leicester might as well give up hope of keeping Riyad Mahrez

Leicester is lovely and all, but...

The Premier League leaders already knew they had their hands full trying to keep the second half of their match-winning double act at the King Power Stadium beyond this season, but if these reports are accurate they probably seal Riyad Mahrez's exit. The Sunday Mirror claim that Barcelona are the latest club to join the chase for the Leicester playmaker, who along with forward Jamie Vardy has fired the Foxes to an unlikely title challenge, and not even a bumper new contract offer will be enough to make him think twice about a move to La Liga. Leicester, who recently agreed a contract extension with Vardy, are reportedly ready to more than double the Algerian international's wages to around £75,000 a week, but the lure of the Camp Nou would be far too much for Mahrez. The paper suggests Barca would be willing to pay between £20-25million for the player, who would reject any interest from the Premier League's big clubs to join the European champions.