Riyad Mahrez, an Algerian winger, will join Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli according to a £30 million agreement negotiated by Manchester City.

The 32-year-old has been given permission to skip City's preseason tour of South Korea and Japan.

For as long as City got a proposal that matched their assessment of Mahrez—who had two years remaining on his contract—that had already been agreed.

Mahrez joined City for £60 million in 2018, and during the Blues' Treble-winning campaign, he scored 15 goals in 47 games.


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He did not play in either the FA Cup or Champions League finals, thus manager Pep Guardiola decided to let him join the SPL's list of high-profile signings this summer.

In addition, Liverpool and Al-Ettifaq have reached a $12 million deal in principle for the sale of England player Jordan Henderson.

This summer, players like Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, and Ruben Neves accompanied Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia. Additionally, Steven Gerrard was hired manager of Al-Ettifaq, while Michael Emenalo was named director of football for the SPL.

The country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has also taken over four of the SPL’s leading clubs, including Al-Ahli, as the league aims to become one of the top five in the world.

Mahrez is the only senior player to miss City’s trip to Asia.

PHOTO | COURTESY

The futures of England defender Kyle Walker, Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva and Spain defender Aymeric Laporte have all been the subject of speculation this summer.

However, all three are in Guardiola’s travelling squad for the pre-season games.

Reports in Germany have suggested Bayern Munich have agreed a deal for Walker, but it is thought they are wide of the mark.