Rayan Cherki, Olympique Lyonnais’ 21-year-old striker under contract until 2026 following his extension last summer, was announced as one of Paris Saint-Germain’s concrete targets for the summer mercato. In an interview with L’Equipe, on the occasion of his first cap for the French national team, the player looked back on this episode.
Cherki “I’ve learned a lot, thought a lot.”
“It always comes down to the same thing: I’m a human being. I could have made other choices, gone straight to Paris Saint-Germain very early in the mercato, without even talking to Dortmund. But that’s part of my history, part of my stages.
It was also my first big mercato, where I learned a lot and thought a lot. Today, I’m ready. Even if we aspired to better things collectively, and that’s what counts, I think I can be satisfied on a more personal level.”
It’s interesting, because there’s a feeling here that Cherki could have signed for PSG very quickly if he’d fully wanted to. Whereas the story goes that Lyon blocked him. It would be interesting to have the versions of all the people directly involved in order to fully understand.
In any case, the young striker didn’t sign for Paris after all. It’s probably his choice, and perhaps one he regrets, given the collective strength of the team built up by coach Luis Enrique. But that’s also part of a career.
And today, Cherki is being tipped for a move to Manchester City. A fine follow-up to a year at Lyon during which he had to fight hard. We can only wish the player every success in continuing to progress.
