Rayan Cherki could very well be the signing that galvanises Manchester City and helps them take a significant step forward towards being an elite side next season.
Cherki has said yes to joining Manchester City and it seems like Hugo Viana and Co believe that the Frenchman is well and truly the real deal.
While the Lyon midfielder’s talent cannot be called into question, there is a long list of potential superstars who have made their way to the Premier League and subsequently disappointed.
But Manchester City’s bid to sign Cherki could be in place in the coming week.
Kylian Mbappe raved about Man City target Rayan Cherki
While City fans would be excited about the prospect of Rayan Cherki lining up alongside their incredible attacking players like Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush next season, he remains a relatively unknown commodity in England.
However, one man who knows what the 21-year-old is made of is Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe, having played against his countryman on several instances during his time at Paris Saint-Germain.
Back in 2020, Mbappe lauded Cherki, whom Manchester City admire behind the scenes when he was just 16 by writing: “You shouldn’t talk to him too much about age, eh?”
The World Cup winner raved about the French U-21 international, who had scored and assisted two goals apiece against Nantes at the time.
Why Thierry Henry has warned Man City about Cherki
Much like Mbappe, Thierry Henry is a huge fan of Manchester City target Cherki as well.
However, Henry commented on how in the past, the youngster was unwilling to contribute defensively.
But last season, Cherki improved his game off the ball as well.
The Arsenal legend explained: “This season, he has shown that he knows how to do what is expected of him without the ball.”
“His problem was that he had never been able to play a string of matches to show what an extraordinary player he is, but to play a string of matches, he had to do things defensively throughout the duration of a match. This season, he did it, so he played a string of matches.
Thierry Henry concluded: “For me, we’re talking about a guy who should have been battling with the others, at the very top, for a long time to see who is the best. He fell behind because it took him a while to understand.”
