Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri has said that he is still "confident" of keeping Riyad Mahrez at the club, despite strong reports linking the Algerian with a move to Arsenal.
It has been claimed that Mahrez is closing in on a £41m move to the Emirates, but he was in the Leicester team that drew 1-1 with Celtic in the International Champions Cup on Saturday afternoon.
Mahrez scored his team's opener before being applauded off the pitch in Glasgow, and when asked if he was confident of keeping the 25-year-old at the King Power Stadium, Ranieri replied "of course".
"I'm confident, of course. We know very well there are other teams who must win the Premier League. We just have to defend it," Ranieri told reporters. "I changed him at last because I said 'okay, his job is done, it's better to avoid injury'. I'm very happy, we have a very good dressing room. The players who came in are very good."
Mahrez won the PFA Premier League Player of the Year last season after inspiring Leicester to the title, scoring 17 times and providing 11 assists.
Matt Law
