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. The rumor is back for the winter. On Monday, Lyon president John Textor made a strong statement on the matter.
“He sent me a message to say he really wanted to go to PSG (last season). I love Rayan, and I told him he couldn’t train with us if he didn’t have another contract. He came back and I told him ‘look how you play when you have a contract’, but nobody pushed him out with the DNCG. In the end, he stayed,” Foot Mercato reports.
This is at least confirmation that Cherki was tempted by PSG, with no doubt at least one Parisian attempt. This may well rekindle the rumours, except that Textor has also made it clear that he will not sell the player to his Parisian counterpart Nasser Al-Khelaïfi. Clearly, the Lyon manager has decided to stir up the rumor mill at OL, which was already full of them.