Barcelona Drop Interest in Leicester City Winger Riyad Mahrez After Downturn in Form

Barcelona are no longer interested in making a move for Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez this summer, leaving the way open for a number of other top-class suitors, according to a report in the Leicester Mercury.

The Algerian winger was one of the hottest prospects hailing from the Premier League in the last summer transfer window, with several clubs interested in his services. But his stock has dropped considerably - less than a year since - with the Foxes failing quite miserably in their title defence.

Mahrez was last season's PFA Player of the Year, scoring 17 goals and racking up 11 assists in the top flight, but his performances - much like his teammates' - dipped considerably before the firing of Claudio Ranieri, who departed the club last month.

Barcelona were thought to be pursuing the player at the time, although Spanish football expert Guillem Balague rubbished those reports.

A little over a year ago, Balague participated in a Q&A session, during which he claimed that the 26-year-old was not one of Barcelona's targets, saying: "Definitely not, he is not a target for Barcelona."

It would seem that things haven't changed as far as Barca are concerned. So Leicester could be confident in their chances of keeping the player in their ranks for at least another season.

Kavan Flavius is a regular contributor to the Official Chelsea Guest Fan Blog, find him on Twitter @KavanFlavius.

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