Lyon reject opening Manchester City bid for Rayan Cherki | OneFootball

Manchester City have seen their opening proposal for Rayan Cherki rejected by Lyon on Wednesday evening, according to reports.

The 21-year-old is the leading target for Etihad Stadium bosses in the attacking midfield position, and is expected to make a move to the club prior to the start of the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.

Conversations over an agreement over the player have significantly advanced across the course of this week, and reached a point on Wednesday where City received confirmation of approval from the side of the midfielder and his entourage concerning personal terms.

That breakthrough left club officials with the task of dealing with Lyon bosses themselves over a transfer fee and overall package for the deal, following on from the culmination in talks with AC Milan over Tijjani Reijnders.

The 26-year-old Netherlands international is expected to become the first official arrival into Pep Guardiola’s playing squad this summer, and begins the process of rebuilding the future of the Manchester City side.

And with one agreement over the line, City are now making formal approaches and moves regarding hopes of a second in due course, taking them over to France this week and discussions over Rayan Cherki.

However, according to the information of journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Olympique Lyonnais have rejected Manchester City’s opening financial proposal for the attacking midfielder, believed to be worth around €23 million.

Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City players not selected for international duty are expected to return to first-team training duties from Monday, ahead of their flight to Florida in advance of the start of the FIFA Club World Cup.

Any of the club’s new signings completed before the June 10 deadline in the initial pre-Club World Cup transfer window would still need to complete a medical and sign relevant documentation before jetting Stateside for the competition.

Rayan Cherki himself is currently on duty with France as they gear up for their UEFA Nations League semi-final meeting with Spain on Thursday night, which could lead to a possible final clash with Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva of Portugal.

As for Tijjani Reijnders, the versatile midfielder is currently with the Netherlands preparing for a FIFA World Cup qualification double-header against Finland away from home and Malta early next week.