Manchester City star Rayan Cherki is believed to have headed to Chelsea for a secret trial with the west London club - only to reject a proposed move.
16:55, 10 Jan 2026Updated 16:57, 10 Jan 2026
Cherki in action for Man City.
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Rayan Cherki rejected a move to Chelsea earlier in his career.(Image: Ryan Browne/Shutterstock)
Manchester City superstar Rayan Cherki once had a secret trial at Chelsea and, consequently, rejected a move to Stamford Bridge because he found it 'too easy.'
Charlton striker Miles Leaburn has opened up on the occasion when Cherki was on Chelsea's books as a kid at the time. The Frenchman - who was at Lyon at the time - arrived at west London without his club even 'knowing about it', according to The Sun.
Leaburn recalled: "He came over from France and was rainbow flicking guys in training. I was thinking; 'Oh my God, this is incredible'.
"He honestly rejected playing for Chelsea because he probably found it too easy! He was miles better than anyone else - absolute quality.
"That was one of the standout moments of the eight years or so I spent at Chelsea."
In the end, Cherki ended up staying put at Lyon - totting up 146 appearances for the Ligue 1 side before in turn completing the £32million move to City last summer.
So far this season, he has made 22 appearances for Pep Guardiola's side in all competitions and also earned four caps for France - starting in their 4-0 win over Ukraine and coming off their bench in the 3-1 victory in Azerbaijan, both World Cup qualifiers.
Rayan Cherki scores for ex-club Lyon.
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Rayan Cherki is claimed to have rejected a move to Chelsea after a trial there. (Image: Getty Images)
Leaburn, on the other hand, was released by Chelsea aged 16 and he has been with Charlton ever since. He won promotion from League One last season and has been a regular in the Championship.
The 22-year-old is the son of Charlton legend Carl. "I joined Chelsea when I was seven after they scouted me at a development centre in Kidbrooke," Leaburn said.
"I was playing for Cray Wanderers, at the time. I started going to their training ground at Cobham from that age, but it's not until you're nine that you sign a contract, committing to only one club.
"So at that time Chelsea, in a bid to woo you into signing for them, introduced us to some of first-team players. I remember meeting John Terry, Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.
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"It was such a cool thing for a young kid to meet top players like that. They were superstars and, over the years, you'd also see them when you walked past the first-team building en route to the academy.
"I remember seeing Oscar, Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, those sort of players.
"I was starstruck, but it's at those moments you understand the magnitude of what potentially can come in your own career. It was a great time and I learned a lot that has made me who I am today."