Rayan Cherki has decided to leave Olympique Lyonnais to join one of the leading clubs in European football. At just 21, the young French international is ready to move to the next stage in his career by signing a five-year deal with Manchester City.
While his contract with Les Gones ran until June 2026, there was an option to extend it for an additional season in the event of no transfer this summer. This clause will ultimately not be activated, as Cherki’s talent has attracted the interest of many major clubs during this 2024-2025 season. After a remarkable year with OL and being called to the French national team for the first time by Didier Deschamps, the Lyonnais had his value rise in the market.
Coveted by Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, and Liverpool, who had made him a plan B in case of failure in the Florian Wirtz case, Rayan Cherki finally said yes to the project proposed by Pep Guardiola. The Citizens’ coach, in direct contact with the player, was able to convince him thanks to a clear vision of his integration within the Mancunian squad.
Manchester City, who wanted to quickly complete the operation to be able to count on him at the Club World Cup, intensified discussions with Olympique Lyonnais in recent days. And these have resulted in a definitive agreement.
According to our information, confirmed by L’Équipe and Fabrizio Romano, the transfer fee is estimated at around €40 million, with bonuses and a percentage of the sale up for grabs. A significant financial move for OL, who are seeing one of their greatest talents leave, but who are also gaining a significant return on investment.
Rayan Cherki Stats and Record
The Frenchman was born in Lyon on August 17, 2003. Rayan Cherki is one of the most promising young talents in Europe, and in the 2024–25 season, he played 44 matches for Olympique Lyonnais, scoring 12 goals and providing 20 assists. In Ligue 1, he had 8 goals and 11 assists in 30 matches, while in the UEFA Europa League, the 21-year-old star player played in 12 games and scored 4 goals and 8 assists, as well as being the leading assists leader for the tournament.
Cherki made his debut for France’s national team in June of 2025 in a UEFA Nations League semi-final against Spain, where he scored 1 goal and 1 assist in just 27 minutes of playing time. He would earn his second cap days later in a match against Germany. Before that, he was a key player in France’s silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Cherki is known for his creativity, dribbling, and two-footedness, as he has 185 senior club appearances, 29 goals, and 45 assists. Click here to read more about the info considering the transfer window and the rumour on 96 game.
