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Manchester City have reportedly joined the race to sign Rayan Cherki, the Lyon midfielder, to add strength and depth to their squad for next season after failing to defend their Premier League title. As per the recent statement from the 21-year-old himself, he is looking to leave Lyon in the summer transfer window, which has led to a lot of interest for him among many clubs in Europe, including Manchester City, who are interested in his attacking prowess in midfield.
As per the report published in the Telegraph, there is a release clause worth £20-25 million in the current contract of Rayan Cherki with Lyon. He has been exceptional for the French club in the 2024-25 season, scoring 12 goals and providing 20 assists in all competition before reportedly thanking his teammates and the staff about potentially departing from there at the start of the summer transfer window.
Rayan Cherki scored for Lyon in UEL semi-finals against Manchester United
While there is a huge upside in terms of talent and skill in Rayan Cherki, there is a suggestion that the workrate on the pitch from him isn’t quite up to the standard of other pressing midfielders in some of the top clubs in the world. But regardless, Manchester City are known to get the best out of the players in the Pep Guardiola era, which is why they are quite interested in signing him on a deal, especially when Florian Wirtz is slightly out of question for them due to certain financial constraints.
Rayan Cherki hit the headlines recently after scoring a wonderful goal for Lyon in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) semi-finals second leg at Old Trafford against Manchester United before the hosts made a big comeback to reach the final of the tournament. In the recent past, Fulham have already made a bid for Rayan Cherki, while Borussia Dortmund did the same at the start of the ongoing 2024-25 season.
Moreover, there is a sense of desperation in the Manchester City ranks to sign a player of the profile of Rayan Cherki especially after the departure of their star performer Kevin de Bruyne on a free transfer this summer.
