Roma Raise Mahrez Bid...Again

At this point, I’m nearly at a loss for words; Roma’s pursuit of Riyad Mahrez has drained me of my perspicacity. There are no more new angles, no new cutting analysis and nary a new word to dedicate towards this story; I’m officially spent. From their initial €23 million bid, which was, again, ridiculous, to their incremental pursuit into the €30 million territory, Roma has half-assed this entire thing. If he really is Eusebio Di Francesco raison d'etre, then why keep approaching Leicester with such a pathetic, incremental approach? From the minute their first €30 million offer was shot down, it was evident, Monchi wasn’t going to hoodwink the Foxes; so either shit or get off the pot.

All of which brings us to yet another fresh bid for the 26-year-old overrated Algerian winger. Word spread this morning that Roma (gasp) are willing to eclipse the €40 million mark for Mahrez, virgin territory for them indeed. Of course, all this comes a day after Monchi admitted that Roma were “satisfied with the effort” they’ve made in their pursuit of Mahrez, speculating that no other club even offered as much as €30 million. To which I would say, that’s probably a clue, Monchi.

The fact that no other single club has even lodged an effort to sign Mahrez, particularly with all the movement of wingers we’ve seen all over Europe this summer, is kind of troubling. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be a welcomed addition, but due to their pigheaded pursuit of Mahrez, Roma are literally bidding against themselves here, their desperation only serving to cost them more.

This is, of course, set against a backdrop of Mahrez requesting a move away from Leicester City. And in much the same vein that Roma are bidding against themselves for his services, Mahrez’s professionalism and decorum are, in a strange and sick way, working against him. He’s not making public proclamations, not slamming his teammates, his manager, or the city; he’s handling it all as professionally as one could possibly ask, except when you consider that this is the 21st century, where the id reigns supreme. If Mahrez could channel his inner-diva, this transfer might go somewhere.

But until that happens, or until Leicester receives their mythical “reasonable offer” we’re stuck in this vicious and annoying cycle.