Identity of Player Who Was Included in Final £65m Man City Offer for Riyad Mahrez Revealed

Manchester City winger Patrick Roberts was reportedly the mystery player offered to Leicester in the transfer deadline drama that saw the Premier League leaders make a late effort to prise 2015/16 PFA Players' Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez away from the Foxes.

City's interest in Mahrez became apparent on January 30, one day before the deadline, but Leicester steadfastly refused to sell for anything less than an enormous offer.

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The Sky Blues eventually pulled out after a fourth bid, totalling £65m including a player, was rebuffed. At the time, the identity of said player wasn't disclosed by reports, but given City's third bid was believed to total £55m, it could only have been one of a few individuals.

Ukrainian international Oleksandr Zinchenko, academy graduate Brahim Diaz and even veteran powerhouse Yaya Toure could have fitted the bill, but a new report from the Daily Mail claims the player in question was actually the aforementioned Roberts.

It is said that the £65m package consisted of a £50m cash payment plus the £15m-rated 20-year-old, currently on a second loan at Celtic in Scotland.

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The same report notes Leicester sources hinted that £80m in cash might have been enough to prompt a sale, while it was apparently Leicester who proposed Roberts becoming part of the deal.

Had the £65m deal been accepted, Roberts would have had to break his loan at Celtic, with whom he was a Scottish champion last season. He played 47 times in all competitions last season, but injury problems since early November have limited his participation in 2017/18.

City bought Roberts from Fulham in 2015 for around £12m. To date, he has only made three senior appearances for the first-team.