Rayan Cherki is on the verge of becoming a Manchester City player after the eight-time Premier League champions reached an agreement with Lyon.
The deal, which is to run until 2030, will see Cherki join Pep Guardiola’s side for a fee of around £33.7m (€40m), according to The Athletic.
Lyon’s attacking midfielder is reported to have met with Arne Slot in the South of France after the Liverpool manager left his post-season holiday at the end of May.
But even though the 2024-25 top-flight champions have had multiple bids for Bayer Leverkusen superstar Florain Wirtz rejected, and may look elsewhere for an attacking midfielder, Cherki’s only desire is a move to the Etihad Stadium.
The final details of the contract are currently being finalised and, if it is done before the team travel out to the United States for the Club World Cup, Cherki will join his new teammates for their first game of the tournament against Wydad AC on June 18.
Cherki earned his first call-up to France’s senior team for the final matches of the Nations League - which he played a crucial role in and earned a debut off the bench against Spain.
The 21-year-old scored a stunning strike in that game and despite losing 5-4, Cherki also played a part in France’s third-place play-off against Germany.
He was named in the Europa League Team of the Season and recorded his greatest attacking output of his career during this past campaign.
And with the ability to play on the wing alongside the central role, Cherki scored 12 goals, produced 20 assists in all competitions which was the inevitable sign a big move was coming.
Just one year ago Fulham had a £12m proposal accepted by Lyon for Cherki while further interest from Crystal Palace and Paris Saint-Germain arose.
Cherki decided against a move at that point but after a personal best season at just 21, he now seems ready for his departure from Lyon, the club which he has spent five enjoyable seasons at, making 185 appearances.