Report Claims Riyad Mahrez Would Be Open to France Return After Marseille Links

Riyad Mahrez is said to be open to a return to the south of France, after appearing to be close to a Leicester City exit in the summer.

The Algerian international was adamant in wanting to leave Leicester at the end of last season, even issuing an open statement in which he described himself as "fiercely ambitious" and had "informed the club I feel now is the time to move on."

Though clubs were linked, a move never really transpired and Mahrez's wish to leave never came to fruition.

Leicester have been unable to reach the heights of their Premier League triumph a few seasons a go and remain in the bottom half of the table. 

A new rumour has emerged from Barcelona-based Mundo Deportivo (via the Daily Mail) that Ligue 1 side Marseille are eager to bring the 26-year-old on board in January - with the €30m price-tag not deterring les Olympiens.

The report comes just days after Claude Puel took over the helm at Leicester and defeated Everton on managerial debut. Despite Puel's insistence on wishing to keep the winger, Mahrez has showed no indication of making a u-turn in his desire to leave. 

Algerian outlet L'Expression claim, however, the 2016 PFA Player of the Year would be open to a move to Marseille, despite not wanting to return to France in the near future.

Mahrez - himself a Marseille fan - was brutally rejected by the club when at Le Havre. Former president Vincent Labrune said of the rumour: "Do you really think that Leicester players now have a place at Olympique de Marseille, in the project we've got? The probability of us taking this sort of player is zero."

Marseille currently find themselves fourth in Ligue 1, eight points off of leaders Paris Saint-Germain, under manager Rudi Garcia.