We didn't want to sell Mahrez, says Guardiola

City boss pays tribute to winger after £30m move to Al-Ahli

- RICHARD FAY

PEP Guardiola admits he did not want to sell Riyad Mahrez this summer but says the club could not turn down Al-Ahli's lucrative offer for him.

The 32-year-old was not included in City's travelling squad for their pre-season trip to Asia and formally completed his exit on Friday.

City accepted an fee which could rise to £30million for the winger, a deal they felt was too good to turn down for a player that didn't start every week.

In an ideal world, they might have kept him though and Guardiola admits he would have been more than happy for Mahrez to stay.