Chelsea are rekindling their interest in Rayan Cherki, following Manchester City being charged by the Premier League for breaching financial rules.
Cherki has enjoyed a positive couple of weeks of international duty with new France national team manager Zinedine Zidane to distract him from his employers being found guilty for over 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.
But with the Frenchman one of several Sky Blues who may well be of interest to rivals, Chelsea are starting to consider making a move, according to one report, as Manchester City prepare for an uncertain future.
Rayan Cherki of interest to Chelsea once more, as talks re-surface
Cherki has been one of City's standout performers in the early days of the Enzo Maresca era, with a call-up to the French squad seeing the 23-year-old deployed in a deeper role than he currently occupies at the Etihad Stadium.
According to Fichajes, this is the position that Blues boss Xabi Alonso envisions for the star, with Chelsea previously interested in bringing Cherki to West London during his time at Lyon.
“The deal fell through because the French club's management demanded the inclusion of Andrey Santos in the agreement, but the current situation at Stamford Bridge has reignited their interest,” the Spanish outlet explains.
Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Liverpool are said to be “monitoring the player's contract situation”, too, with his deal expiring in 2030.
Cherki became the youngest-ever scorer for home club Lyon in January 2020, at the age of 16 years and 140 days, but resisted temptation to move until the age of 21: now, FourFourTwo understands that the Olympic silver medalist is valued at over £80 million, with City originally spending less than half of that in 2025.
The French international could be one of a plethora of stars up for sale, should City be forcibly expelled from the Premier League, though there is no indication that the six-time Premier League winners are considering sales at this stage.
City have lodged an appeal over their charges, contesting what they refer to in a statement as an “opinion” issued by the independent commission that found them guilty of financial breaches.
“The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case,” City say.
Cherki is valued at €90m by Transfermarkt. The Citizens face Liverpool in the first game back after the international break, as Premier League action resumes.
