Man City ‘Handed Blow’ in Rayan Cherki Pursuit After Opening Bid | OneFootball

Lyon have rejected Manchester City’s first bid for midfielder Rayan Cherki, a report has claimed.

City need new creativity, after saying goodbye to Kevin De Bruyne, and have set their sights on 21-year-old Cherki, who reached 20 assists in all competitions for Lyon this season to go with a further 12 goals.

Cherki is approaching the final year of his contract with Lyon and is expected to be available for a reduced fee, but according to Sacha Tavolieri, the cash-strapped French outfit are determined to extract as much value as possible from his sale.

A bid of €23 million (£19.4 million, $26.3 million) from City has been turned down by Lyon, who are keen to drum up a bidding war with Cherki’s other suitors. Liverpool recently held a meeting with the Frenchman as a potential alternative to Florian Wirtz.

Just how much it will take for Lyon to sell Cherki is unclear. Reports of a release clause around the same figure as City’s bid have been debunked and there are even doubts over whether there is a formal exit clause in his contract at all.

Cherki is set for a summer exit from Lyon. / IMAGO/ABACAPRESS

Late last month, L'Équipe argued Lyon’s agreement with Cherki is not a formal release clause, but rather a commitment to pay the midfielder a fee if they reject a bid of over €22.5 million (£19 million, $25.7 million), which they did in January following an approach from Borussia Dortmund. Whether Cherki can claim compensation a second time is unknown.

PSG are expected to demand €40 million (£33.7 million, $45.6 million) to part ways with the 21-year-old, well aware that such a sale would still prove a huge discount on Cherki’s true market value.

Interestingly, it is also claimed there is a separate clause in Cherki’s contract which will see his deal extended automatically by 12 months if he is not sold by September 1, although nobody involved believes he will still be at the club beyond this summer.

Cherki is already reported to have reached his own “verbal agreement” with City, but it still requires Lyon to accept an offer.

READ THE LATEST MAN CITY NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE