Manchester City have reportedly joined the race for Lyon star Rayan Cherki, after previous reports suggested he was a top target for Manchester United when it became clear he could leave the French club.
City will see superstar Kevin De Bruyne leave the club in the summer. The second-leading assister in the history of the Premier League has won six titles with the Citizens, but they weren’t willing to offer him a new deal beyond this campaign.
As such, he’ll be leaving on a free, most likely to Napoli. As a result, City will look to find a replacement for the departing icon, and they have a number of options on the radar.
One of the latest, per the Telegraph, is Lyon man Cherki, with City said to have joined the race for the Frenchman, who was directly involved in 32 goals this season, including 12 in the Europa League.
There has been confirmation that he’ll leave Lyon in the summer, with it widely believed £20-25million will be enough to land the attacking midfielder/winger.
As such, his signing is said to be a ‘live possibility’ at the Etihad. Just down the road, at rivals Manchester United, there is also interest in Cherki.
A few reports have stated the Frenchman is on the radar of United, and with Fabrizio Romano stating another No.10 is wanted at Old Trafford after the signing of Matheus Cunha, Cherki has seemingly been identified as that man.
But United’s finances have taken a hit and their lack of European football next season could mean it’s difficult for them to sign many decent players this summer.
City, having confirmed Champions League football, look much better place to land Cherki. Their focus is on the midfield, though the Frenchman can also play on the wing, and won’t interfere with their interest in two more stars.
Indeed, the report states ‘serious interest’ in AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White remains despite interest in Cherki.
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City’s summer could be an expensive one if they are to sign two or even all three of those. While Cherki is a relatively cheap option at £20-25million, Gibbs-White has been valued at around £100million by Forest, and Reijnders will apparently cost upwards of £70million.
There would surely have to be some sales made for City to think about all of those signings, and Jack Grealish is one man who could be let go, after being left out of the squad for the final game of the season.
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