Manchester City have completed the signing of French attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki from Lyon in a deal worth €36.5 million, with a further €6 million in add-ons. The 21-year-old joins just in time to be registered for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.
Cherki becomes the latest addition to a revamped Man City squad, as Pep Guardiola aims to bounce back from a rare trophyless campaign.
“This is a dream for me,” Cherki said in a club statement. “To be joining a club like Manchester City and have the opportunity to make the next step in my career here is something very, very special. I love this sport, and I can’t wait to develop further here in Manchester with Pep and his backroom staff.”
The former Lyon academy product made his debut at just 16 and became the club’s youngest-ever scorer in 2020. Over his time at Lyon, Cherki scored 29 goals in 185 appearances, including two in this season’s dramatic Europa League quarter-final against Manchester United.
He joins fellow new signing Rayan Ait-Nouri, who arrived from Wolves on Monday. A third arrival, Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan, is expected to be confirmed before the Club World Cup registration deadline.
City are scheduled to face Wydad AC (Morocco) and Al Ain (UAE), before a blockbuster group clash with Juventus in a tournament that kicks off on June 14.
The signing of Cherki follows a busy January window where City spent over £172 million on Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, and Nico Gonzalez.
City’s Director of Football Hugo Viana praised the signing. “There’s no doubt that he’s now in the best place possible to develop further under Pep’s guidance, and I really believe he can become a world-class player with our support.”
