Pep Guardiola could call his mercurial wingers at 3am to talk about football, which will mean Lyon’s Rayan Cherki will feel right at home.
talkSPORT understands that the French playmaker is in advanced talks with Guardiola’s Manchester City over a summer move.
Cherki told Lyon fans he’d be leaving after the season finaleAFPCherki has been the subject of transfer speculation since he was a teen, when, after two goals and two assists against Nantes aged just 16, Kylian Mbappe declared ‘don’t speak too much about age‘.
Lyon President, Jean-Michel Aulas, went as far as to say that the attacker is ‘comparable to Lionel Messi in terms of technical quality’.
Having been courted by Manchester United when he was 15, it’s ironically now their noisy neighbours who are the ones closest to signing him after he impressed at Old Trafford in April.
City are at the front of the queue of clubs chasing the French U21 international, while Liverpool also thought to be interested.
When asked by L’Equipe, via Sport Witness, which team would suit him best, Cherki responded: “I’m ready for any system. I work every day, physically and mentally, to be ready.
“Above all, I’m trying to choose the best option for me, to develop as a person and a footballer.”
On what he wants to hear from clubs trying to secure his services, Cherki added: “They need to talk to me about football, football, and more football. Quite simply…”
That’ll be music to Guardiola’s ears, once described by Arjen Robben, that ‘if it’s 3am, Pep would be happy to talk to you about football’.
Cherki revealing himself as a student in a similar school of thought may surprise fans more familiar with tales of a bad attitude.
Cherki burst onto the scene during the height of the pandemicGettyLyon owner John Textor, who is also a majority shareholder at Crystal Palace and Botafogo, went viral for his unflattering verdict of Cherki.
The American businessman allegedly called his own talent an ‘a******’ in screenshots of leaked messages that circulated in French media.
Cherki became Lyon’s youngest scorer with an audacious chip in a 7-0 rout of French third-tier side Bourg Peronnas in 2020.
What’s less known is that a week earlier, he wanted to return to the youth team after being left on the bench against Bordeaux in Ligue 1.
Having starred against Bourg’s first team, he flopped against their youngsters, and according to GOAL, his father is reported to have shouted at him: “If you don’t want to play, get off!”
Discussing the reputation he has cultivated, Cherki added to L’Equipe: “People don’t know me very well, otherwise I’d be less criticised!
He is no stranger to making headlinesAFP“When people really get to know me – and l invite you to ask the players I’ve played with – more than a few are surprised.
“They hear the things people sometimes try to make up about me, and they realise they’re not true.
“I don’t feel like describing myself – that’s not my role. And above all, the people who know me are the best ones to do that.”
Cherki’s coaches and teammates can claim to be among that list of close confidants, including his former manager Rudi Garcia.
“I think Rayan is surrounded by very good people,” he told RMC. “He is polite and attentive. You’re not like that without a quality entourage.
“We all keep telling him that he will have the career he deserves if he continues to work. The danger is to make him believe that he is already one of the best players on the planet.”
Rayan Cherki's Lyon Stats (2024/25 Ligue 1)
Games – 23
Goals – 6
Assists – 9
Goal-creating actions – 16
Minutes played – 1,494
View Tweet: t.co/mqLT6Ozh0N
“Gerard Houllier had this with Steven Gerrard, who he started at 17 years old,” Garcia continued.
“He played 15 games, then 25 and then started to play whole seasons. I had the same with Eden Hazard at Lille. You have to watch, see how the player behaves and be careful.”
Chelsea icon Hazard is a fitting link, having only recently presented Cherki with the award as Ligue 1’s best Dribbler of the Year.
The Belgian was also no stranger to breaking records after bursting onto the scene in France before making the jump to England.
Like Hazard, Cherki is comfortable shooting, passing and dribbling with both feet and can play out wide and centrally.
He scored 12 goals and added 20 assists in 44 games for Lyon last season, earning high praise from teammate Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Cherki is the young spark in the Lyon attack under manager Paulo FonsecaAFP Grealish has fallen down the pecking order under GuardiolaGettyThe Englishman has played alongside Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jadon Sancho and Phil Foden.
“He is the best natural talent I’ve ever seen,” ex-Arsenal star Maitland-Niles told BBC Sport. “An absolute master, a wizard with the ball.”
“He is taking chances, assists and dragging us up the pitch by taking people on and nutmegging them – he is a genius,” he added.
Whether such a playstyle translates to Man City’s rigid structure remains to be seen, with Guardiola often accused of sacrificing individual talent to serve the team.
In an era of modern football, pioneered by the Spanish manager, the elite level is dominated by tactics.
However, City’s struggles last season may have convinced Guardiola to go against the grain for one of Europe’s last mavericks…
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