Arne Slot flew to South of France for Rayan Cherki talks ahead of Liverpool push for Florian Wirtz | OneFootball

According to a report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Liverpool manager Arne Slot reportedly flew to the South of France last week for talks with Lyon attacking midfielder and Manchester City target Rayan Cherki (21). This was a meeting that the Dutchman honoured ahead of pushing for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz. Fabrizio Romano reported last week that Manchester City began talks to sign Cherki – who received his first call-up for the French National Team. The Frenchman is set to leave his formative side Olympique Lyonnais, after publicly stating he was bound to leave Les Gones following the conclusion of the Ligue 1 season. Cherki comes off the back of a scintillating campaign with OL, after scoring 12 goals and registering 12 assists in Europe and Ligue 1. This has reared heads across the continent and from the Premier League, where the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have already been linked with a move for the attacking midfielder. Liverpool have now been added to the list, but Ornstein and Romano confirm that it is indeed Manchester City who currently edge the race to sign Cherki. GFFN | George Boxall