Nottingham Forest could have landed Manchester City-bound star Rayan Cherki this summer, it has been claimed.
The Lyon ace is on the verge of wrapping up a reported €40 million-plus (£33m) move to the Etihad Stadium. But had matters panned out differently, he could have been heading to the City Ground instead.
According to French newspaper L’Equipe (via Get Football News France), Lyon owner John Textor had “initially hoped to send” Cherki to the Reds. The American businessman is said to have “initially pushed” the player towards linking up with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
It is City who look set to sign the 21-year-old attacking midfielder/winger, however. A €36m (£30m) fixed fee is said to have been agreed, along with €6m (£5m) worth of add-ons.
There has been plenty of transfer business between Forest and Textor’s clubs in recent times. Orel Mangala and Moussa Niakhate made the switch from Trentside to Lyon 12 months ago, and Matt Turner and Danilo could do the same this summer.
Textor also owns Botafogo, and the Reds have had their eye on a triple deal involving the Brazilian outfit. Striker Igor Jesus has already confirmed he is in line to join Forest after the conclusion of the Club World Cup, and it is hoped he will be joined by teammates Jair Cunha and Cuiabano.
City closing in on Cherki’s signature seems to have helped cool their interest in Reds playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White. The beaten FA Cup finalists had been eyeing up the England international for some time but a swoop now appears unlikely.
Gibbs-White had been viewed as a potential replacement for Kevin De Bruyne at the Etihad Stadium. But with Cherki and AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders due to join Pep Guardiola’s ranks, it is said there is little chance of the club also pursuing the Forest ace’s signature.
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In addition to owning Lyon and Botafogo, Textor also has a 43 percent stake in Crystal Palace. Reports have claimed the Reds have written to UEFA to express concern over Palace potentially participating in the Europa League next season given the multi-club ownership rules that are in place.
Like Palace, Lyon have qualified for Europe's secondary competition. The Eagles hierarchy have met with UEFA officials to try to explain Textor's situation.
Forest stand to gain if UEFA do choose to kick Palace out of the Europa League. The Reds’ seventh-placed finish in the Premier League qualified them for the Conference League, but they could be bumped up if the south London side are deemed to have fallen foul of UEFA’s rules.
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