ENES
Join the club
Rayan Cherki · Ayyoub Bouaddi · Manchester City · Paris Saint-GermainUnconfirmed report

Report: PSG had a deal and a voice note from Cherki. On Wednesday he faces them for City

By the Data Desk · ·

First reported by L'Équipe · 12 OCT 19:00

In the summer of 2024 Rayan Cherki was so excited about joining PSG that he sent Nasser al-Khelaïfi a long voice message to thank him. According to L'Équipe, the clubs had a deal and Luis Enrique had already pitched him a role, and on Wednesday he will face Paris in a Manchester City shirt.

  • L'Équipe: in 2024 PSG agreed terms with Lyon owner John Textor for Cherki, then a year from the end of his contract.
  • City signed him in June 2025 for €36.5m plus up to €6m in add-ons (ESPN), and this summer added Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille for about €100m (Sky Sports).
  • City v PSG is on Wednesday 14 October, 21:00 CEST, in the Champions League league phase.
Why it mattersTwo of the French league's best young players of the last two years now wear City shirts, and PSG had a chance at both. Wednesday is the first time either faces Paris.

L'Équipe's account is detailed. Cherki was a priority for PSG's sporting staff as soon as the 2024 window opened. Textor wanted cash and was ready to let him go with a year left on his deal, and he quickly reached an agreement with Al-Khelaïfi.

Behind the scenes, Cherki also spoke with Luis Enrique, who told him he wanted to use him in several roles, including as a false nine. Cherki then sent the president the voice note, thanking him for the chance and for his patience in the talks. L'Équipe has a second piece on why the move fell apart; it sits behind their paywall, so we leave the reasons to them.

Cherki stayed at Lyon one more season and joined City in June 2025. The second story is fresher: L'Équipe writes that Bouaddi, the 18-year-old Morocco midfielder seen in France for months as the midfielder of the future, never got a call from PSG. City paid Lille about €100m for him this summer, a record for a teenager in the Premier League according to Sky Sports.

PSG travel to Manchester with Ousmane Dembélé and Nuno Mendes back in the squad (L'Équipe). Kick-off at the Etihad is 21:00 CEST on Wednesday.

Our take · Editorial view

Cherki was bad luck. Bouaddi was a choice

Our editorial team thinks the Bouaddi file will hurt PSG more than Cherki's. Cherki was a deal that was agreed and then broke, which happens. Bouaddi was a player everyone in France rated, and PSG chose not to move, then watched City pay about €100m for an 18-year-old on a five-year contract. If Bouaddi is a squad player at City by spring, PSG were right to wait, and we will say so.

Football news →Our football predictions →
18+Play responsibly

Updates

  1. Still open, with nothing new on the 2024 deal: we found no public comment from PSG, Manchester City or Cherki on L'Équipe's account, and the outlets that followed it, such as Sports Mole on 12 October, cite L'Équipe. On Wednesday 14 October PSG won 4-2 at the Etihad; Cherki started and was replaced at half-time by Bouaddi, who set up Haaland's second goal in the 75th minute (ESPN, The Analyst). One match does not settle our view on Bouaddi, and we will review it in the spring as promised.
Unconfirmed reportAt the time of writing, this information has not been confirmed. The analysis above is the view of our editorial team.
Sources