Player of the Year nominees: Kane, Kante, Mahrez, Ozil, Payet and Vardy make shortlist

Riyad Mahrez the bookies' favourite

Riyad Mahrez is good enough to play for Barcelona, say Xavi Hernandez (Getty Images)

The Professinal Footballers' Association has announced the six players to have made the shortlist for the Player of the Year award.

Unsurprisingly, shock leaders Leicester City make up half of the field, with tenascious midfielder N'Golo Kante and dynamic duo Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy also on the shortlist.

Premier League top goalscorer Harry Kane, of Tottenham Hotspur, is on the list, as is Arsenal rival Mesut Ozil, who leads the Premier League in assists.

The final nominee is West Ham United's signing of the summer Dmitri Payet.

Mahrez is the odds-on favoruite with the bookies, with BetVictor offering odds of 2/7 for the Algerian winger.

Jamie Vardy is second favourite (5/2), while Harry Kane is at 12/1.

Both Dmitri Payet and Mesut Ozil are priced at 33/1, while Kante is seen as the rank outsider, with a price not available.

Chelsea winger Eden Hazard won the award last year as the Blues won the Premier League title.

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