Leicester City lodge £5.25m bid for Euro 2016 ace amid talk of Arsenal swoop for star man

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Leicester City have reportedly made a £5.25m bid for Polish winger Bartosz Kapustka, leading to further suggestions that Riyad Mahrez could be on his way out.

The 19-year-old starred for his country in their win over Northern Ireland at Euro 2016 earlier this summer, and in turn it gained him more attention from around Europe.

According to Sky Sports, as seen in the video below, Leicester had initially made an enquiry to Cracovia about signing him during the European Championship, but have now submitted a bid for his services.

While Kapustka would be an exciting addition to the Premier League champions’ squad, it does naturally raise further doubt over Mahrez’s future at the King Power Stadium.

Claudio Ranieri remains adamant that the Algerian international would be better off staying with the current Premier League champions, as noted by ESPN FC, but it remains to be seen whether or not his words fall on deaf ears.

Eurosport France reported over the weekend that Mahrez had in fact already decided that he wished to join Arsenal, and the signing of a player who could be seen as a direct replacement for him will do little to dampen speculation considering they share many similar characteristics and can play the same roles.

Leicester were seemingly ahead of the curve with N’Golo Kante as they signed Nampalys Mendy prior to the French ace’s exit to join Chelsea earlier this month, and it would come as no surprise if this was another smart move from Ranieri to ensure that they’re prepared for any more high-profile exits.

The bid ultimately suggests that the Gunners could be boosted in their pursuit of Mahrez, who scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists to land the PFA player of the year award last season, and help sealed Leicester’s stunning title triumph.

However, it remains to be seen whether or not the move is motivated by that, or simply that Ranieri is looking to add quality and depth to his squad ahead of what promises to be a gruelling season.

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