Manchester City has strengthened its offense with Rayan Cherki. The technically skilled Frenchman is joining the Skyblues from Olympique Lyon.
Following the departure of Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City has a gap in its attacking midfield. The Skyblues have now closed it with Rayan Cherki, announcing the transfer of the French international on Tuesday evening. After Rayan Ait Nouri, who is moving from Wolves to the blue half of Manchester, and goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli (Chelsea), Cherki is the third new signing for the coming season.
Cherki, who is versatile in attack, has played for Olympique Lyon since 2010. He made his breakthrough into professional football in the 2019/20 season with the traditional French club, for whom Cherki made a total of 164 appearances. Cherki scored 20 goals during his time at OL, twelve of them in the past season alone.
The technically skilled and clinical striker recently demonstrated his talent in his debut appearances for the French national team in the Nations League. ManCity, which according to media reports is paying a transfer fee of around €40 million and has signed Cherki to a contract until 2030, has high hopes for the two-footed Frenchman.
“A dream come true for me”
“This is a dream come true for me,” Cherki is quoted as saying in a club statement. “To be honest, it’s very special to join a club like Manchester City and have the opportunity to take the next step in my career here. I’ve worked so hard for this my whole life. I can’t wait to develop here in Manchester with Pep and his team,” Cherki continued.
There was a lot of international interest in Cherki, with Borussia Dortmund in particular keeping him on their radar, but they were unable to secure a transfer. Now ManCity have struck, just in time for the Club World Cup.
