Behind the scenes of Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki failed 2024 transfer to PSG

Behind the scenes of Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki failed 2024 transfer to PSG While he is currently a key player for Manchester City, it was in fact the colours of Paris Saint-Germain – whom he will face again this Wednesday in the Champions League – that Rayan Cherki (23) could have worn when he left Olympique Lyonnais, the club where he came through the ranks. Back in 2024, the talented attacking midfielder came within a hair’s breadth of joining the capital club. A deal worth around €15m, including bonuses, had even almost been finalised between OL and PSG, as reported by L’Équipe . Put on the transfer market by his then-chairman John Textor, who was seeking to raise funds at the time, Cherki – then aged 20 – had himself expressed great excitement at the prospect of joining the Parisians. So much so that he reportedly even shared his joy and gratitude with Nasser al-Khelaïfi, the PSG boss, via a long voice message. The deal was close to being finalised, but Borussia Dortmund eventually intervened – unlike PSG and Luis Enrique, they were prepared to guarantee Cherki playing time, prompting him to reconsider. But whilst he had two suitors, the Lyon player ultimately joined neither, with BvB eventually pulling out of the race due to internal disagreements and PSG following suit, annoyed by Cherki’s change of heart. Having ultimately stayed at OL, he decided to extend his contract, including clauses in it that would allow him to leave a year later. Which is exactly what he did, joining the Cityzens for a fee of €40m in 2025. GFFN | Léo Aschi