Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has urged Riyad Mahrez to stay at the King Power Stadium, claiming that he will not be the star if he joins another club.
The winger, who scored 17 goals in the Foxes' historic Premier League title win last season, has been linked with a move to Arsenal.
Midfielder N'Golo Kante was lured to Chelsea, but the English champions managed to convince their star striker Jamie Vardy to agree a new contract.
Despite interest in Mahrez, Ranieri has reiterated that he expects the Algerian to stay put.
"I think Mahrez for us is very important," Ranieri told ESPN. "He's our light. If he goes to another big team, there are so many lights, so many stars, why? Stay with us, it's much better. He's our champion. If he goes to another team, there are so many champions.
"He knows me, I know him very well and I understand when he plays so-so and I keep him on the pitch, maybe another manager when he plays so-so, there are so many other stars and [they'll] put him on the bench.
"For Riyad, it is important you give him confidence, but if you put him on the bench, he gets down. I think, I hope he can stay with us because it's important for us, but also it's important a lot for him."
The 25-year-old joined Leicester from Le Havre in 2014.
Danielle Joynson
