**Manchester City have begun “talks” with Lyon about recruiting Rayan Cherki but an issue related to the “exit fee” may cause problems, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.**
There have been contradictory reports about the existence of a release clause in the Frenchman’s contract and, speaking on his [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zchbamGeiQw&t), Romano said the reason for that is the conditions required to trigger it are rather complicated:
“There were a lot of stories about the release clause of Rayan Cherki in January, but then Borussia Dortmund tried; that clause was not something exactly clear or easy to trigger, so the player ended up staying at Lyon.”
“Now, Manchester City want to respect Lyon. They want to have a proper conversation. They want to understand how much is the exit fee so talks are ongoing.”
Cherki has been identified as De Bruyne’s replacement
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After withdrawing from the race to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, Pep Guardiola’s side have turned their attention to alternatives.
Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White was believed to be among the names under consideration but Cherki has emerged as the frontrunner in recent days.
There have been question marks about the 21-year-old’s attitude but his numbers this season speak for themselves. He has scored 12 goals and provided 20 assists in 44 appearances for Lyon.
Will Man City have competition for his signature?
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In addition to Borussia Dortmund, numerous other clubs have been linked with signing Cherki over the past couple of years, with several potential suitors in England.
Rivals Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle have all considered making approaches for the France Under 23 international but it appears as if City have a clear run to secure the midfielder’s services at the moment.
[**Read our article**](https://mancitynews.com/man-city-transfer-news-rayan-cherki/) on Cherki as David Ornstein makes it clear that the player doesn’t have a release clause, contradicting Romano’s comments.