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Manchester City will walk away from the Riyad Mahrez deal for a SECOND time if Leicester do not budge from their asking price.

The Blues pulled the plug on their prospective deal in January when the Foxes stuck to their £95million valuation.

City were not prepared to go above £60million for the Algeria international, and on a dramatic deadline day, they refused to play ball.

That sparked an angry reaction from Mahrez, who missed training for the next ten days, while City made it plain that they would renew their interest in the summer, with Pep Guardiola making him his No.1 target.

It initially seemed Leicester would drop the price, leading to sources in Leicester claiming the deal was ready to be done as soon as the summer window opened.

But the Midlands club are reported to have been asking for £75million plus youngster Patrick Roberts as a replacement, and there is currently no contact between the clubs.

The message is clear from City – they have already walked away from deals for Mahrez and Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred over excessive fees, and ditched a move for Alexis Sanchez over his huge wage demands, and will do so again.

It is also possible that Leicester's resolve will weaken when their players report back for training on July 2.

Manager Claude Puel and senior players have been unhappy that the Mahrez saga has been a distraction, and if he turns up in an unhappy mood, that could persuade them to lower the price.

City have already scouted alternative names in case Mahrez – their number one wing target – does fall through.