On Friday, we covered claims from France which stated Lyon’s Rayan Cherki has agreed personal terms with Manchester City after holding talks with Pep Guardiola.
L’Equipe dismiss that but report the 21-year-old is Manchester City’s priority target for the summer window, and they’re working to beat Liverpool.
The report states sources close to him deny agreeing personal terms with Manchester City and insist he hasn’t made the final decision on his future yet.
Liverpool and Aston Villa have also been looking at the France U21 international.
To get ahead of their Premier League counterparts, Manchester City have been in direct contact with his entourage. They also contacted his former managers, including Pierre Sage, to find out more about him.
Guardiola hasn’t held talks with the player, but it’s only a matter of time as Cherki ‘fits perfectly’ with what the manager is looking for.
The Citizens are keen to sign him for the Club World Cup that will take place in the US from June 14th. Therefore, they are expected to table an initial offer ‘next week’. There’s no mention of the fee Manchester City intend to offer, but it’ll higher than €22.5m.
L’Equipe state that last year, Cherki and his club came to a gentleman’s agreement to let him leave for €22.5m. If not, a penalty clause will be activated in the player’s favour.
This could help Manchester City make quick progress in their negotiations with Lyon to conclude Cherki’s signing. Lyon are also in favour of a quick sale and are hoping for the English club to pay €40m.
There are multiple factors favouring Manchester City to secure a quick signing as long as they convince Cherki.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are in the background and are ‘still trying to get ahead’ of their league rivals.
