Bayern had been convincing the public that Florian Wirtz had already pledged himself to them, but when it turned out that wasn’t exactly the case, Manchester City wanted to step in and steal him. Then they realized Bayer Leverkusen wasn’t joking — they really were asking 150 millions for their best player — and decided to back off. City didn’t want to be, as usual, the club that always overpays for players.Instead, City, for a change, signed a player below market value. Rayan Cherki had been seen as one of the most cost-effective options over the past year, but for unknown reasons, no one made a move. Then City stepped in, and everyone else had to move aside — because City had a special ace in negotiations: Pep Guardiola.We’re delighted to announce the signing of Rayan Cherki ✍️🩵— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 10, 2025 After a call from the Spanish manager, the newly capped French international shut down all other options and chose the Citizens. On Tuesday, the deal became official as he signed a five-year contract with the English club, bringing potentially up to 42 millions to Lyon, where he had spent a decade and a half. “Potentially” because City will initially pay 36 millions, with the rest coming in the form of bonuses, plus 15% of any future resale, according to Fabrizio Romano.This is significantly more than Lyon would have received in the winter. Back then, Cherki had a verbal agreement with the club allowing him to leave if an offer of 22.5 millions came in — well below the market value of the 21-year-old with Algerian roots.Rayan Cherki arrives at Man City in very high regard… pic.twitter.com/NYN2k4auRO— Premier League (@premierleague) June 10, 2025 According to The Athletic, Liverpool also showed interest in Cherki after the season ended. Reportedly, Arne Slot even interrupted his vacation in late May to travel to the south of France and negotiate with Lyon’s attacker. But in the meantime, the English champions shifted their focus entirely to Wirtz — and they still haven’t sealed the deal, as Leverkusen rejected their second offer worth 130 millions including bonuses. City wrapped up their business for nearly four times less than what Wirtz would have cost.Earlier in the day, City also unveiled Marcus Bettinelli, who arrived from Chelsea to replace the departing Scott Carson as the third-choice goalkeeper. Yesterday, they also officially announced the arrival of Rayan Ait-Nouri. All of them will travel with the team to the Club World Cup, and they are expected to be joined by Tijjani Reijnders, whose signing should also be made official by the end of the day.##NAJAVA_MECA_8973580##
