Rayan Cherki (22), attacking midfielder for Manchester City, could have joined Paris Saint-Germain for just €15 million. Speaking on RMC Sport, John Textor looked back on this complex case, marked by an unusual contractual clause and promises made to the player well before his media breakthrough.
Textor: “Cherki was supposed to go to PSG for €15 million”
“Listen, there were promises made to him, according to which he could leave earlier. These promises landed on my desk, just like those involving Barcola, Lukeba and others. Cherki was supposed to go to PSG for €15 million. There was a very unusual clause in his contract, not a true release clause, but one that still gave him some room to maneuver to leave.
Textor: ‘I think financially, we did as well as possible’
In the end, if he had been entirely our player without all these complications, we would have received more for him. But getting more than €30 million for a player whose clause was set well below that amount, I think financially we did as well as possible.”
The Cherki case perfectly illustrates the uncertainties of the transfer market—an ecosystem where a single contractual detail can alter a player’s entire trajectory. At the time, a poorly defined clause, verbal promises and unstable governance blurred the situation. As a result, PSG long believed there was an opportunity, Lyon thought it was limiting the damage, and ultimately the player followed a completely different path to Manchester City, in a radically different sporting and economic context.
In the meantime, John Textor is no longer in charge at OL, further proof that the transfer market is never static. It is often these micro-elements—a line in a contract, poorly chosen timing, a change in leadership—that make the biggest differences. Modern football is no longer played solely on the pitch, but also in the margins, where anticipation can sometimes be worth more than raw talent.
