£80m offer made to Premier League star after Newcastle United owners strike major deal

Mahrez, who has just won the Champions League with Manchester City, has reportedly received a formal contract offer from Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli with negotiations now under way. That’s according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who claims talks are expected to continue regarding a potential transfer for the 32-year-old Algerian winger.

Mahrez still has a year left on his contract at Manchester City, meaning Al Ahli would have to be a transfer fee in order to complete a deal. ESPN have claimed Mahrez’s two-year contract offer is worth £80million plus bonuses.

Al Ahli are one of the four Pro League clubs acquired by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund as part of a major reform for football in the Kingdom. PIF now own a 75% stake in Al Ahli, Al Nassr, Al Hilal and Al Ittihad as well as an 80% stake in Premier League club Newcastle United following a takeover in October 2021.

Following the acquisition, a PIF statement read: “The transfer of the four clubs will unleash various commercial opportunities, including investment, partnership and sponsorships across numerous sports.”

Since then, PIF-owned club Al Ittihad have signed Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema on a three-year contract worth £258million. N’Golo Kante is also set to sign an £86million-per-season deal at Al Ittihad once his contract expires at Chelsea.

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in January following his release from Manchester United on a world record deal worth a reported £175million-a-year. And the Portuguese icon claims his move opened the door for many more top players to follow.

“I knew that me going to Saudi Arabia would open a box and I wasn’t wrong,” he said.

“I’m sure in a couple of years or three, this league is going to be one of the most important leagues in the world. We can see that already. Karim left [Real Madrid] already and I am 1000% sure that many more players will.”

PIF-owned Saudi Pro League clubs have also been linked with the likes of Neymar and Romelu Lukaku after failing to land World Cup winning captain Lionel Messi following his release from Paris Saint-Germain.