Chelsea are one of several clubs 'following' Riyad Mahrez's situation at Manchester City. That's according to French news outlet Footmercato, which says that the Blues, Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain all hold an interest in the City attacker.
Mahrez sees his contract at the current Premier League leaders expire at the end of the next season, and that has supposedly alerted plenty of clubs around Europe. It's difficult to refuse when somebody who possesses the 31-year-old's talent becomes available.
During his time at Manchester City, the Algeria international has won two Premier League titles, three League Cups, one FA Cup, and two FA Community Shields. Mahrez has been instrumental in practically all of those successes as well.
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Man City manager Pep Guardiola has been asked many of times about Mahrez's future in recent months due to his contractual situation. Back in mid-March, Guardiola offered a coy response regarding the tricky winger's future at the Etihad Stadium.
"Yeah, he's an exceptional player, it's all I can say," Guardiola said. "He is a player that many teams would like to have.
"He knows my opinion, especially with him. I try to push him a lot, we struggle together because I know the quality he has, and he's a player I admire for the fact he handles the pressure, he likes to play in the biggest stages.
"It's difficult to find that, players like him. Not just me, the whole club has an incredibly high opinion of him and his quality, no doubt about that."
So, it's clear how highly Guardiola rates him, which is why it might come as a bit of a shock that the Manchester-based club have allowed his contract to run down this long. With 23 goals in all competitions for City this season, he is one of the strongest attackers in a hugely talented squad.
Saying this, where would he fit in at Chelsea? football.london is on hand to look at two different ways Thomas Tuchel could line up his attack with Mahrez moving to Stamford Bridge...
How Chelsea could line up with Mahrez
Usually, Tuchel operates with a 3-4-3 system, which allows two attackers on either side of the central striker. In recent times, it's been Kai Havertz used down the middle with the in-form Timo Werner on the left-hand side and Mason Mount on the other wing.
Romelu Lukaku's form has seen him drop down in the pecking order at Chelsea - and has also seen him linked with an exit in the summer transfer window. Werner is currently Tuchel's only natural option, other than Havertz and Lukaku, to play down the middle.
If Mahrez was to be brought in, we could see something like pictured below. This would see Werner dropping out of the side, Mount on the left-wing and Mahrez in his favoured position on the right-hand side of the pitch.
Alternatively, Tuchel sometimes, usually when changed in-game, goes with a four-at-the-back formation. This may see Chelsea change into a 4-2-3-1 system, with a double pivot of two central midfielders behind the three creative players, who are behind the striker.
This would allow one more attacker in the side. In this case, Werner comes in on the left-hand side, Mount goes into the middle behind Havertz, while Mahrez keeps his position on the right-wing.
The system up front would of course be fluid, something Tuchel likes from his offensive players. Mahrez coming to Chelsea would be a real smart piece of business if they can negotiate a fair fee for the hugely talented City star.
