Manchester City's start to the season has already dragged Rayan Cherki into a January transfer story. Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain and Bayern München are all watching him, but City still have him tied down until 2030 and there is no sign of a sale from the club.
He has earned the attention. Cherki registered two assists against Bournemouth and then scored twice in City's 4-1 win over Crystal Palace. That was a lively return and the level was backed up by an 8.7 rating against Palace.
City’s contract position
The longer-term deal is the part that matters most here. Cherki joined City from Lyon in 2025 on a five-year contract that runs until 2030, so any January move would need far more than a casual enquiry.
A source close to the agents industry told CaughtOffside that Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern are keeping tabs on him ahead of January 2027. The same source valued Cherki at around €90m, while also saying no formal bids have been submitted.
The clubs watching him
That interest makes sense because Cherki has already shown end product rather than just flashes. He has two Premier League goals this season as well as the Bournemouth assists, and that is the kind of output that turns a promising signing into a player other clubs start to monitor closely.
City do not need to rush, though. The contract gives them the upper hand, and the public line from the reporting is still that they would need an extraordinary offer before considering anything serious. January 2027 is the date attached to the monitoring, not to any confirmed move.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
