Lyon’s Rayan Cherki is currently the talk of the football world.
The 21-year-old is set to leave the Ligue 1 club this summer and caught the attention of everyone this week as the midfielder came off the bench for France in their UEFA Nations League semi-final clash with Spain on Thursday night and stole the show.
French media were full of praise for Cherki, as the Lyon star produced a goal and an assist during his 27-minute cameo against the Spanish, which left Man City fans going crazy given the Premier League club’s pursuit of the player.
Cherki admitted after the match that he is joining Man City ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, but Fabrizio Romano has now detailed how close Liverpool came to acquiring the 21-year-old’s talent.
Rayan Cherki was Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz alternative
Liverpool had a big impact on Man City’s plans to sign Florian Wirtz this summer as the Reds joined the race out of nowhere to cement themselves as the favourites for the German star.
As a result, City fans were very worried when it emerged that Cherki met with Liverpool boss Arne Slot recently, but Fabrizio Romano has now shared how serious the Premier League champions’ interest was, in addition to other clubs.
“Many clubs, let me say, because Borussia Dortmund wanted a player in January, the deal didn’t happen, but Borussia Dortmund were also interested, but then they understood it was impossible to compete with English clubs,” Romano said on the Here We Go podcast.
“There was a call also from Liverpool to understand the situation of the player, and also a direct contact with Arne Slot, but Liverpool were only considering Cherki as an alternative option to their top target, Florian Wirtz, so Wirtz was always the priority.
“Then it’s important to say also some calls from Italy, who have a good relationship with his agent, but my understanding is that in the end, the player really wanted to go to Man City.”
Everyone associated with Cherki’s transfer to Man City is confident that the deal will get done, and Romano also shared an update on where the midfielder’s move to the Premier League is currently at.
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Fabrizio Romano reveals Man City’s first bid for Rayan Cherki
Cherki is said to be relaxed about his move to Man City after Lyon rejected the Manchester club’s first offer for the French midfielder.
Speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, Romano shared how much Man City’s bid was, and despite it being rejected, the transfer expert is confident the deal will get over the line.
“The player is going to join Manchester City. So now the conversation is advancing between Man City and Olympique Lyon,” Romano said.
“The first bid was around €22.5m (£19m), which was rejected. Lyon for sure want more than €30m (£25m) for Rayan Cherki. Man City will continue this conversation. The player only wants to go to City. He’s been very clear. He has an agreement on the contracts.
| Player | Games | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
| Rayan Cherki | 44 | 12 | 20 | 3097 |
| Florian Wirtz | 45 | 16 | 15 | 3392 |
“So I think it’s quite a similar situation to Florian Wirtz, of course, with different numbers in this case, different transfer fee.
“But I expect Cherki to be a new Manchester City player because this deal is very advanced and also because the player, I can tell you this, already spoke to Pep Guardiola. So there is a very good feeling.”
