Premier League Rivals ‘Threaten to Hijack’ Man City’s Rayan Cherki Pursuit | OneFootball

Liverpool are reportedly keeping their options open in pursuit of a new creative attacking player this summer, having supposedly held talks with Manchester City target Rayan Cherki.

The Lyon winger, still only 21 years of age, racked up 20 assists and 12 goals across all competitions in 2024–25. He is thought to have become a serious target for Manchester City as part of their ongoing rebuild, particularly with uncertainty over Jack Grealish’s future at the Etihad Stadium.

City had been after Florian Wirtz, having tracked the Bayer Leverkusen No. 10 for years, but now appear to be out of the race due to baulking at the expected financial outlay it would require.

That has seen Liverpool take pole position when it comes to Wirtz, so far offering a club record €130 million (£109.4 million, $147.6 million) package to Leverkusen. But a deal is yet to be finalised and the Reds aren’t closing themselves to alternatives, which is where Cherki comes in.

The Athletic writes that Arne Slot has already met with Cherki, cutting short a holiday to fly to the south of France for early talks. There is still a “commitment” to signing Wirtz, with Cherki discussions already scheduled before things with Wirtz accelerated. But this appears to be Liverpool doing their due diligence on multiple options, rather than putting all the eggs into a single basket.

Cherki recorded 20 assists for Lyon this past season. / IMAGO/PsnewZ

If Liverpool get to a point where a deal for Wirtz can be secured, they could drop Cherki. But, for now at least, it is a threat to Manchester City’s interest in the Frenchman.

Cherki is the vastly cheaper choice, although The Athletic adds that previous reports of a €22.5 million (£19 million, $25.7 million) release clause are wide of the mark. Instead, Lyon want a “significantly bigger fee”, even though he is about to enter the final year of his contract.

Cherki himself is keeping his options open. The player was asked about his future at a press conference while away on international duty with France this week and ruled nothing out.

“All the possibilities are credible,” he said. “But there are two important matches with the French team. When the question comes up, I’ll ask it. It won’t affect the start of my training camp. I’m not looking at what’s happening elsewhere.”