Arne Slot’s confirmed secret meeting sparks fresh twist in Liverpool transfer chase | OneFootball

Arne Slot left his holiday last week to personally meet Lyon attacker Rayan Cherki, sparking fresh intrigue over Liverpool’s summer transfer plans.

The 46-year-old flew to the south of France to speak directly with the Frenchman, as reported by David Ornstein for The Athletic, in a move that’s raised eyebrows given the growing belief that Florian Wirtz is Anfield-bound.

Cherki, 21, has since become Manchester City’s top target – but he was with Liverpool’s head coach first and that’s what’s caused confusion.

The former Feyenoord coach is known for being meticulous, and Liverpool are still pushing to land Wirtz, their number one target in this window.

But the fact that Slot personally met Cherki while the German playmaker was on international duty this week has reignited debate around how close the Wirtz deal really is.

Slot’s interest in Cherki as Wirtz deal approaches key stage

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

While fans have assumed City would land Cherki and Wirtz would join us, it turns out Slot held scheduled talks with the Frenchman before City even began making serious progress.

City’s interest only picked up after they quietly stepped away from Wirtz – a deal now dominated by Liverpool, who remain the only club to make a formal bid.

“There is a feeling around the matter that this could be a pivotal week,” Ornstein wrote, adding that it has become a “one-horse race” due to Wirtz’s preference for Liverpool and our willingness to meet Leverkusen’s valuation.

The Reds have proposed a package worth up to €130m  (via Christian Falk), and optimism remains that a breakthrough is near.

But Slot’s meeting with Cherki shows how we’re preparing for all outcomes.

City are now hoping to land Cherki despite his contract running out next summer and Lyon demanding more than the widely misreported €22.5m release clause (via The Athletic).

Wirtz remains the priority, but we’re keeping our options open.

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