Reports: Mahrez Willing to Accept Roma Move

Whether it’s simply because we’ve had more time on our hands or the journalists who actually cover the rumors are putting in some OT, it seems as though the minutiae of every transfer rumor is being covered this summer, more so than in years past. From covering clandestine hotel meetings, to tracking flight paths to telling us what color socks a transfer target is wearing, this year’s rumors are being covered to the nth degree.

The prospective move of Riyad Mahrez to Roma is emblematic of this trend, which, depending on your view, may be a troubling development; as exciting as these rumors can be, sometimes you don’t really need to know what Monchi said to a player’s PR rep, but I guess that’s the world we live in, eh?

The latest twist in this saga has seen Mahrez reportedly accepting a move to Roma, even going so far as to take a voluntary pay cut to hasten the transfer, while Roma and Leicester continue to haggle over the price. While Roma’s initial €23 million move bordered on insulting, they have apparently increased their bid to roughly €26 million plus bonuses, which would presumably push the total towards the €30 million mark.

While this is still pretty far off the Foxes €35 to €40 million value, which is a reduction from their high water mark of €50 million, it at least shows progress in the negotiations. It has been widely speculated that, failing a move to Barcelona or Arsenal, neither of which seem in the cards, Roma is Mahrez’s next preferred destination; nothing like being someone’s third choice, right?

As we discussed late last week, this could be a glass slipper of a move for Roma, as Mahrez is seemingly an ideal fit for EDFs attacking philosophy, so we’ll keep tabs on this one as it unfurls throughout the week.