Manchester City have reportedly completed their deal for Rayan Cherki from Olympique Lyon ahead of their Club World Cup campaign this summer. The Sky Blues have utilised this new early transfer window to secure their signing before the competition starts, in order to try and win the incredible £97 million prize pot.
Manchester City Complete Deal for Rayan Cherki Ahead of Club World Cup
£30 Million Bargain
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that City have a “deal in place” for Cherki, giving his famous Here We Go for the rising star who will sign on a five-year deal. Lyon will receive an initial £30 million fee with a potential extra £5 million in add-ons. This is a fairly substantial sale, though Manchester City should be relatively pleased to get one of Europe’s most exciting talents for less than £50 million.
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They aim to register him before the Club World Cup so that he will be able to contribute, with medical tests and the official contract signing expected in the next 24 hours. The Cityzens have beaten the likes of Liverpool to this transfer, with Arne Slot leaving his holiday to meet Cherki, whilst rivals Manchester United also held interest.
Is Rayan Cherki the Kevin De Bruyne Replacement?
Cherki will be a huge signing for Pep Guardiola, particularly in filling a creative void that may become apparent with long-term creator and club legend Kevin De Bruyne departing this summer. This has arguably already existed in the past two seasons with the Belgian’s minutes decreasing due to injuries.
However, Cherki is pretty evidently not a like-for-like replacement for De Bruyne. He has been described as a “maverick” – something that the 33-year-old is not, or has not been for a long time. Perhaps it is not that the 21-year-old is different to his predecessor, but that he is different to any one of Guardiola’s playmakers. Nevertheless, it would not be surprising to see the Spaniard mould his new player into a more drilled pawn in his system.
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Cherki is also familiar with playing wide, though one trait he and De Bruyne both share is an unbelievable passing range. It is unclear whether he will maintain his maverick style under his new manager but one thing is for sure: Manchester City are getting a very talented footballer.