Manchester City agree fee for Lyon sensation Rayan Cherki

Manchester City have agreed an initial €36m (£30.3m) fee with Lyon for midfielder Rayan Cherki as Pep Guardiola’s June spending spree continues.

They hope the 21-year-old midfielder could be one of four signings they complete in time for the Club World Cup.

The France international, who also attracted attention from Liverpool, is expected to sign a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium as City have made a fast start to their summer business.

They have completed the signing of Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri for €37m and have agreed a €55m fee with AC Milan for midfielder Tijjani Reijnders. City are also likely to sign back-up goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli on a free transfer after releasing the veteran Scott Carson.

Cherki will add creativity to a midfield that has lost Kevin De Bruyne after ending the season with 20 assists for Lyon, including eight, the most of anyone, in the Europa League.

He also scored 12 goals in a breakthrough campaign that earned him his first senior international call-up and he struck on his France debut against Spain last week.

If Cherki and Reijnders do join City, it would take their spending in the first half of the calendar year up towards £300m, following the arrivals of Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov in the winter transfer window.

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