Cherki move to Dortmund falls through: Lyon chief reveals all | OneFootball

After months of negotiations, Rayan Cherki’s move to BVB has failed. Lyon boss Michael Gerlinger now reveals the reasons behind the collapsed transfer deal.

Borussia Dortmund’s interest in Rayan Cherki has finally come to an end—and now Lyon boss Michael Gerlinger explains why the French attacking player’s transfer did not materialize.

“In the summer of 2024, it fell through, as I was told, due to disagreements within the club at Dortmund itself. There was no clear decision in his favor,” Gerlinger told Sky. Even back then, there were reportedly differing opinions within BVB: while squad planner Sven Mislintat pushed for the transfer, Nuri Sahin opposed signing the now 22-year-old.

In the winter of 2024, Dortmund made another attempt to sign Cherki. But this also failed—not least due to Lyon’s transfer restrictions. Gerlinger explained: “In the winter, we simply had a transfer ban. That meant we couldn’t sign a replacement. You can’t let a player go on the penultimate day if you can’t bring in a replacement anyway. So we decided not to go through with it.”

Disagreement at BVB over Cherki transfer?

BVB’s approach also drew sharp criticism from Lyon shareholder John Textor. “The offer from Dortmund was communicated disrespectfully, was far below market value, and came at a bad time,” said Textor. According to Gerlinger, BVB’s winter offer was around 22.5 million euros, while Cherki ultimately moved to Manchester City in the summer of 2025 for around 40 million euros.

Cherki himself had apparently sought a move to Dortmund, but first extended his contract in Lyon until 2026 to prevent a free transfer. The Frenchman has since made his Premier League debut for Manchester City, but suffered a muscle injury and is currently sidelined.

The failed transfers show that disagreements within the club, internal differences among decision-makers, delays, and a lack of flexibility in signing replacements prevented the highly talented player’s move to Dortmund. For BVB, Rayan Cherki’s transfer to City remains a missed opportunity.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.