Rayan Cherki breaks silence on future amid talk of £25m summer transfer from Lyon to Man City

While on international duty with France ahead of the upcoming UEFA Nations League Finals, Cherki faced the media at a press conference. Given his form at Lyon - 12 goals and 20 assists across all competitions in 2024-25 - and the rumoured interest in his services, it was unsurprising that his club future was one of the subjects raised by reporters.

With Manchester City seeking to continue the rebuild that started in January in response to their worst Premier League season since 2016-17, Cherki has emerged as a rumoured target. To get ahead of rival suitors Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund, it has been reported that Cherki has already agreed to join City after personally speaking with Pep Guardiola.

Publicly, Cherki has kept his cards closer to his chest and pledged his immediate attention to the French national team: "All the possibilities are credible. But there are two important matches with the French team. When the question comes up, I'll ask it. It won't affect the start of my training camp. I'm not looking at what's happening elsewhere."

If Cherki has agreed to join Manchester City, who are seemingly resigned to defeat in pursuit of Florian Wirtz, the next stage is for the Premier League giants to finalise a transfer fee with Lyon. There are suggestions that Cherki has a release clause in the region of £20-25 million ($27-34m), which could make 21-year-old a much more cost effective addition than Wirtz.