In a detailed interview with L`Équipe, Rayan Cherki (21) discussed his challenges at Lyon at the start of the season. Last summer, with one year left on his contract, the club intended to sell him to avoid losing him on a free transfer.
PSG reached an agreement with Lyon but reportedly couldn`t convince Cherki. Borussia Dortmund convinced the player but not the club. Lyon placed Cherki in a state of limbo (“the loft”) to try and force a transfer during that summer.
However, on transfer deadline day, a bid from Fulham was accepted by Lyon but rejected by the player, resulting in Cherki staying at his boyhood club. Lyon only reinstated him into the matchday squad after he signed a contract extension.
Reflecting on that time, Cherki finds it amusing: “Everyone forgets that,” he laughs. “It still makes me smile. It shows how thankless football can be. I gave everything to the club, extended my contract multiple times, and promised not to leave for free. And despite that, some tried to hurt me in return.“
“I never gave up,” he adds. “I knew where I wanted to go. I faced heavy criticism internally, my entourage was criticized… but I am the one who makes the decisions.” He emphasizes this point when discussing the upcoming transfer window, where he has been linked with Manchester City: “No one will decide for me how, why, or where I will go.“
