Manchester City won the race to sign Rayan Cherki from Lyon this summer.
Knowing Kevin De Bruyne would leave the Manchester club at the end of the season, Pep Guardiola had his sights set on Florian Wirtz, but would soon turn to Rayan Cherki after the German star opted to move to Liverpool instead.
Man City completed the signing of Cherki from Lyon last week, and as part of that deal, the French club would get a player from the Manchester club on loan for the 2025/26 campaign.
Lyon took their time to decide which City star they would like to add to their squad, but the French giants have now come to a decision.
Lyon want to sign Juma Bah on loan from Man City
Lyon are in pole position to sign Juma Bah on loan from Man City this summer as part of the £36m (€42.5m) deal the Ligue 1 outfit completed with the Premier League side for Cherki, reports L’Equipe.
Fabrizio Romano has also provided an update on the centre-back’s future, with the transfer expert stating that the 19-year-old has yet to decide on whether he wants to play for Lyon or Nice next season.
Lyon have already approached the player’s camp to gauge his interest in the move, while Nice have also presented their project to the young defender.
Bah spent the second half of last season on loan at RC Lens after Man City decided to loan him out straight away, having signed the Sierra Leonean from Real Valladolid in January.
Lyon and Nice seem to like what they saw from Bah during the months he spent in France, and a loan to OL would suit everyone involved, as the player will get more first-team experience, while Man City will have complied with the terms of the Cherki deal.
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Abdukodir Khusanov will not leave Man City on loan
According to L’Equipe, Oscar Bobb or Abdukodir Khusanov were also options for Lyon; however, Man City do not plan to let the duo leave ahead of the 2025/26 season, while James McAtee and Claudio Echeverri were also options for the Ligue 1 club.
Khusanov experienced a tough few months at the Etihad Stadium after joining City in January from Lens, as Guardiola was forced to throw the 21-year-old into the deep end of the Premier League as he searched for ways to turn his team’s form around.
Man City’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has faith that Khusanov will become a top centre-back, with the decision to keep the defender in Manchester next season likely the correct one, as it will allow the player to adapt to Guardiola’s methods and the Premier League further.
