Could a move for Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez signal the start of Arsenal’s £150million summer spending spree?

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Despite having an air of inevitability around it for a while now, it still came as a shock yesterday afternoon when Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez announced his desire to leave the King Power this summer.

One of Leicester’s heroes during their fairy-tale Premier League campaign, a statement released by the Algerian yesterday said that he felt that it’s time to move on after four of ‘the best’ seasons.

This news will now put clubs across Europe on red alert as they battle it out to secure the signing of the 2016 PFA player of the year, and The Sun are reporting this morning that Arsenal are growing interest.

With an alleged £150 million set to be given to the Frenchman to improve the Gunners’ squad according to the Mirror, Wenger could be drawn into acting fast after Mahrez’s written transfer request.

What could the Algerian bring to the Emirates?

It’s undeniable that Riyad Mahrez lends himself best to the counter-attack, using his blistering pace and nerveless vision to pick out runs of the strikers; his link with Jamie Vardy was a prime example of this.

Yet even when faced with a stoic defence in front of him, he still has a dazzling ability to dribble past one or two men and find a finish at the end of it, having an eye for goal that impressed last season.

Able to seemingly work his way through impossible scenarios in the final third, it’s his ability to both find the back of the net and equally turn provider that has helped him hit the headlines over the past years.

There’s also a versatility to his play that could entice Arsene Wenger – recently awarded a two-year extension at the Emirates – into making a move for the 26-year-old; able to play on either wing or in the number ten position, Mahrez possesses an element of comfort in the final third wherever he is.

The Algerian is known for working tirelessly inside the opposition half both on and off the ball, and it’s already been proven that his movement can cause huge problems for Premier League defences.

Although he will admit that he hasn’t been able to re-produce the form of Leicester’s title-winning season consistently enough this year, there have still been enough glimpses of his world-class potential.

Once Claudio Ranieri left the King Power, Mahrez was an integral part of the efforts to keep the Foxes out of trouble at the bottom of the table, scoring six goals and providing two assists as they finished 12th.

This sort of return is obviously not enough if he were to sign for one of the Premier League big boys, but with a better quality of players surrounding him on the football pitch he should re-find his best form.

The thought of the pace of Mahrez and Alexis Sanchez, allied with the creativity of Mesut Ozil in the midfield – plus an addition up front – shows begins to show potential for a threatening Arsenal team.

There’s no doubt that, despite recent Premier League and European failures, Arsenal are one of England’s most successful and historic clubs alongside the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.

With the future of Arsene Wenger now secured, and a reported £150 million being awarded to him to spend this summer, he could do a lot worse than immediately setting his sights on the Algerian star.