Rayan Cherki: Frenchman leaves and joins Manchester City for five years

French international, Rayan Cherki has officially joined  Manchester City player on a five-year deal.

L’equipe reported that the deal was completed on Tuesday.

 Cherki made a huge contribution to Lyon’s season after being reinstated into the team over a contractual dispute. The Ligue 1 club had no choice but to turn to the 21-year-old as they aim to balance their books.

Cheriki, who has two caps with the French national team, scored a key goal against Spain in the semi-finals of the Nations League that ended 4-5 in favour of La Roja.

He is expected to make his debut with the English Premier League giant at the Club World Cup.

Cherki’s current deal with the club expires in 2026. The French paper reported that he has now signed a five-year contract with the Citizens on Tuesday. 

“As we wrote, the Lyon club will pocket a little over 40 million euros”, as written by the L’quipe.

With his contribution to Lyon last season, his move to Manchester City will be huge for the Ligue 1 club. This was also acknowledged by the fans who appreciate his talent. They lamented that his departure from Lyon meant he would be difficult to replace.

It was earlier reported by the French media that Liverpool manager Arne Slot tried to convince the midfielder to join the Merseyside club after speaking with him, but he chose the Citizens over in move to Anfield, whilst Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur were all also linked.

Manchester club will pay €36m (£30m) guaranteed for the French star, while the €5m (£4m) is an add-ons, plus a 15% sell-on clause on any future sale.

According to reports,  Man City also agreed that Lyon can have one of their stars on loan for the season, but one member of Pep Guardiola’s squad will be ‘very difficult’ to sign during this summer’s transfer window.