Manchester City Begin Talks With Rayan Cherki

Manchester City are starting their bid to sign Lyon’s talented midfielder Rayan Cherki. The team wants to strengthen for next season and see the 21-year-old French player as a top target for the attacking midfield position.

WHAT HAPPENED?

City have begun initial talks with Cherki in their search for a new playmaker. The Lyon player is City’s top choice, along with Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White. The club stopped pursuing Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz. Cherki knows about City’s interest, but he worries about getting enough playing time at the Etihad Stadium.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The French U-21 star had a great season at Lyon, scoring 12 goals and making 20 assists in all competitions. Despite the club’s financial troubles, Cherki has become one of Europe’s exciting young playmakers. Lyon’s money problems mean he may be available for a low fee, with reports of a release clause of around £20-25 million.

City’s interest arises as manager Pep Guardiola plans to reshape his squad after Kevin De Bruyne left on a free transfer and Jack Grealish’s future is uncertain. City recently won their fourth straight Premier League title, finishing one point ahead of Arsenal.

PLAYER CONCERNS

Even though City are interested, Cherki reportedly doubts joining the Premier League champions. He knows he may be a squad player due to City’s many attacking talents. This increases Manchester United’s chances of signing him, as they also watch the player for a possible summer move.

Cherki wants a key role to continue his development. This demand could be a major problem in talks with City, even though they can easily pay Lyon’s asking price.

WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

City need to assure Cherki of enough playing time if they want to sign him. They decided against Florian Wirtz due to high costs, making Cherki and Gibbs-White their main options for the attacking role.

With the transfer window opening soon, City must fix other parts of their squad too. They’ve shown strong interest in AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders along with pursuing attackers. They’ll aim to strengthen their team to compete on all fronts next season, including defending their Premier League title and competing in the expanded Club World Cup.