Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted that he is a big fan of Riyad Mahrez, but he was "never close" to signing the winger from Leicester City.

The Algeria international was heavily linked with the Gunners at the start of the transfer window after publicly announcing that he wants to leave the King Power Stadium.

Rumours of Mahrez joining Arsenal have gone quiet over the past month or so, with Roma now understood to be on the brink of signing him, and Wenger claims that he saw no real reason to make an offer.

"We were never close," he told reporters. "I rate him as a player but we have similar types with Alex Iwobi, Jack Wilshere back. Mesut Ozil... we have plenty of the same type of players."

Leicester boss Craig Shakespeare intends to play Mahrez in Friday evening's meeting with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, despite the ongoing speculation.

Written by
Daniel Lewis