Riyad Mahrez withdraws transfer request but Leicester future remains in doubt

The 27-year-old asked to leave the Foxes in January with Manchester City

Mahrez pushed to leave Leicester in January (Getty)

Riyad Mahrez has withdrawn his transfer request at Leicester but his future at the club remains in doubt.

The 27-year-old asked to leave the Foxes in January with Manchester City interested in taking him to the Etihad Stadium.

He missed two games during the saga but Leicester held firm for the second successive window after previously rejecting bids from Roma last summer.

Mahrez is under contract at the King Power Stadium until June 2020 but, despite insisting his transfer request was done, he still left his future open.

Mahrez wanted a move to City in January (Getty)

"It has gone. It was in January, it's another transfer window. I am still here - I don't want to put a lot of things in my head," Mahrez told Sky Sports, when asked whether the request still stood.

"At that time I handed a transfer (request in) because I had offers from Manchester City so obviously I wanted to go. But now I am still at Leicester. With me, especially, you never know what is happening. Every time I have to go but I am still here.

"I don't really want to talk about (whether) I am going or staying. I just want to finish the last three games. We will see what will happen for me.

"I am still in contract with Leicester so at the moment I am here and we will see."

Mahrez returned to the Leicester side against Pep Guardiola's City in a 5-1 defeat as a substitute in February.

He was voted the PFA Player of the Year in 2016 when he scored 17 goals to help Leicester to a shock Premier League title. He then helped them to the quarter-finals of the Champions League last year.

The Algeria playmaker has struggled to recreate that form this season, although he has scored 11 times with Leicester ninth ahead of Saturday's visit of West Ham.