Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi believes Leicester City’s Algerian forward Riyad Mahrez has what it takes to play for his former club Barcelona in the near future.

Mahrez, 25, who returned from International duties with Algeria has been in scintillating form for the Premier League leaders and he has been one of the Premier League’s top players this season, leading Leicester City’s charge to league glory, scoring 16 goals and 10 assists in 30 games . The Foxes top the Premier League standings by five points with seven games remaining

Spain legend Xavi, now playing for Al Sadd in Qatar, admitted he knew nothing about the Algerian forward prior to his brilliance in the Premier this season, which has left him pretty impressed with the 25 year old forward.

“He is a very good player,” Xavi told Al Araby Al Jadeed. “He suddenly came to my attention this season, I didn’t know about him before, but this season he has blown up.

“He has made a name for himself among the top names in the English league and played exceptionally well. Thanks to what he has done for his club, he can now play for any big club in Europe.

When asked if the Leicester City star could play for Barcelona, Xavi replied: “Yeah, why not?” Adding: “He could play for Barcelona in the future.

“He is talented, but that is not in my hands these days.”