John Textor reveals Rayan Cherki wanted to join PSG | OneFootball

Rayan Cherki (21) almost left formative club Olympique Lyonnais in the summer before a move broke down. Ultimately, he remained with OL and was reintegrated into the first-team set-up after signing a contract extension that would prevent him from leaving on a free this summer.

For a long time, Cherki had looked close to joining Ligue 1 rivals Paris Saint-Germain. However, despite PSG reportedly reaching an agreement with Lyon, Borussia Dortmund registered an interest. He then prioritised a move to the Bundesliga club, which, however, never reached an agreement with Les Gones. That U-turn definitively closed the door for a move to Les Parisiens.

However, speaking to RMC Sport, Lyon owner John Textor has revealed that Cherki was in fact determined to join the reigning Ligue 1 champions in the summer. “It’s been three or four seasons that Cherki has wanted to leave. It has nothing to do with the DNCG. He wanted to go to PSG last year. He sent me a message saying: ‘I really want to go to PSG’,” he said.

Textor, however, amid tensions with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi doesn’t want to sell to the capital club. “I don’t want to sell a quality player to Nasser as long as we aren’t shaking hands,” he told RMC Sport.

A move to PSG fell through but Cherki could yet leave Lyon, either during the current transfer window or during the summer, amid interest from Liverpool.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle