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BARCELONA

The new Camp Nou and the quest to buy Mahrez

The press in Barcelona are gushing over the winning bid for the new Camp Nou but the optimism doesn't extend to the club's chances of luring over Rayid Mahrez.

Leicester's Riyad Mahrez holds his leg
Eddie KeoghREUTERS

The sports press and general newspapers in Barcelona are busy covering Japanese firm Nikken Sekkei’s winning proposal to design the new Camp Nou. Seeing off the challenges of seven other bids, the Asian architects (in collaboration with Joan Pascula and Ramo Ausió Arquitectes) will begin construction on the new stadium in February 2017 and expect to finish in 2021. In the meantime it will be business as usual in the Camp Nou and Barca fans won’t be affected in the slightest next season.

El Mundo Deportivo’s Miguel Rico is also reporting on the difficulties Los Culés are going to face this summer in their attempts to lure Leicester lynchpin Riyad Mahrez to the Catalan city. Whether or not the Foxes win the Premier League, the club’s owner, Thai tycoon Vichai Raksriaksom, is already assured of Champions League action come the 2016-17 campaign and is already planning to open his war chest to bring in reinforcements for the Claudio Ranieri-managed side.