Lyon owner John Textor calls Rayan Cherki ‘little as*hole’ in alleged expletive-laden message | OneFootball

During John Textor’s explosive interview with RMC Sport on Monday night, during which he reignited his war of words with Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, whilst also calling the head of the LFP, Vincent Labrune, a “lap dog”, Foot Mercato revealed alleged leaked messages from Olympique Lyonnais owner Textor. During the alleged conversation, the American did not mince his words when it came to describing Rayan Cherki’s (21) entourage.

Textor called Al-Khelaifi a “bully” during the interview with a PSG spokesperson hitting back, accusing Lyon’s owner of a lack of “class and elegance”. A set of alleged leaked messages have not poured fuel onto the fire. The messages date back to 4th July 2024 with Foot Mercato reporting that they had been addressed to a president of a European club.

Given the context, the time that they were released and the presence of a Qatari flag in the post on X (formerly Twitter), there is a strong hint that these texts were sent to Al-Khelaifi – a hint that was not lost on L’Équipe who cited Al-Khelaifi by name when referencing the alleged messages in this morning’s edition.

In the expletive-laden message, Textor speaks about Rayan Cherki (21), who at the time, had been edging closer to a move to PSG. “It’s 4th July, and I am still listening to this little as*hole (Cherki) who you would like to sign. Are you still interested in signing? Dortmund has now spoken to us, for the first time, and I am happy to tell them to f*ck off… I just need to know that you still want the player. Thx,” read the alleged message, shared by Foot Mercato.

Textor unwilling to deal with PSG

A second alleged message reads as follows: “Terrific… I think the kid is a good kid. I think his team are total as*holes. I will send him the message tonight that Dortmund can f*ck off. Thx!”

Ultimately, of course, Cherki did not join PSG, instead remaining with Lyon and signing a contract extension in order to prevent him from leaving on a free transfer this summer. In the interview with RMC Sport, Textor revealed that Cherki did in fact want to join PSG, however, the American added that he did not “want to sell a quality player to Nasser”.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle