Transfer update: Riyad Mahrez is on the move

The good thing about transfer deadline day is that it runs so late. It means those of us in Europe get to ease into our day before thinking about it, while those in North America don’t miss out on any big stories during the night and oh hold on a second.

Riyad Mahrez has been released by the Algeria squad in order to complete his transfer to a new a club.

So thats...that’s probably not good news if you wanted him to stay at Leicester City.

If you’re a fan who’d be happy to see him go, or you’re just here for the first blood in the water on transfer frenzy day, then it certainly is good news. Mahrez has world class talent, and the club have steadfastly refused to sell for less than £50m until now, so this could be a big one.

The best part of the story so far, however, is that no one actually knows where he’s headed. He was spotted (genuinely, I think) at an airport in Paris but, due to the nature of airports, could be elsewhere by now. Sky Sports suggest London.

It could also just be a precaution his agents are taking. If a deal does come through, he’ll have to be available it’s easier to bring him back to Europe now, just in case.

Roma are the only club to put in an official bid that we know of so far, but the two teams were a long way apart and that seems to have completely fallen apart. Plenty of clubs have had rumoured interest, including Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Manchester United and even Barcelona.

So this one’s pretty simple: Mahrez is definitely leaving, though no one knows where to, and he seems to have all kinds of options. Unless it turns out nobody wants him, in which case things will be awkward in the morning.

Keep up with all the day’s transfer stories here.