Rayan Cherki, Olympique Lyonnais’ 21-year-old striker under contract until 2026 following his extension last summer, has been announced as one of Paris Saint-Germain’s concrete targets for the summer mercato. Lyon president John Textor was asked to respond on RMC Sport. He sent a strong message.
Textor “we can get past it”.
“Today? No, it won’t happen. I don’t want to sell a player of this quality to Nasser (Al-Khelaïfi) until we’ve shaken hands, shared a beer and decided together to help the French championship. Obviously, my relationship with Nasser isn’t what it used to be, but men are men and you can get past that. But for the time being, no, I won’t sell him anyone.”
Textor and Nasser Al-Khelaïfi have had major tensions, notably over TV rights in Ligue 1. Clearly, OL’s American president has maintained a tense stance towards his PSG counterpart. Some may appreciate this strong character, and it could be argued that he is basically inviting reconciliation.
But the manner is far from classy, with a refusal to discuss a transfer because there are disagreements. It’s a playground atmosphere that we don’t really miss, and won’t particularly “help the French championship”. Above all, it’s sad to see.
