Serie A giants attempt late hijack of Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki pursuit | OneFootball

Manchester City will have been left delighted by the way Rayan Cherki has handled a late push from Italy to secure his services this summer, according to new details.

The France international has firmly emerged as the priority target for the attacking midfield role in Pep Guardiola’s squad for next season, after withdrawing interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz earlier in the summer.

Interest in strengthening the attacking midfield ranks comes as Manchester City continue to brace themselves for a formal departure of Kevin De Bruyne, who continues to be expected to join Serie A Champions Napoli on a free transfer in the coming days.

The 33-year-old was permitted the opportunity to take on a new challenge this summer on a free transfer, after club officials refused to hand the veteran playmaker an extension to his contract which expires at the end of June.

And while no player will be able to replicate the success brought by Kevin De Bruyne to City over the course of the last 10 years, the priority target for Etihad bosses is seemingly a man in demand this summer and a player they will need to secure sooner rather than later.

According to the information of journalist Daniele Longo, AC Milan’s technical director Geoffrey Moncada attempted to set up negotiations for Lyon’s Rayan Cherki as recently as last week, only for the Frenchman himself revealing a promise to join Manchester City.

Personal terms between Manchester City and the 21-year-old are believed to have already been agreed, with a long-term contract with the Premier League giants awaiting on the table for when a transfer fee has been identified with the French club.

It is widely expected that while City will be securing Cherki for a fee well-worth it for a player of his outstanding talent, and club officials will no doubt defend their decision to avoid paying upwards of €150 million this summer for Florian Wirtz.

The saving on such a figure has enabled Manchester City to invest three times in their first-team squad by the time Cherki signs on the dotted line, with the France international following Tijjani Reijnders of AC Milan and Rayan Ait-Nouri of Wolves through the door.