‘The perfect replacement’, ‘Better option than Raphinha’ – Man City fans react as £43m ‘baller’ reportedly on the club’s radar to replace Riyad Mahrez.

Manchester City fans have been reacting to a post on Twitter which relays a report that claims Rayan Cherki is among the players on the club’s radar to replace Riyad Mahrez.

Sky Sports have already confirmed that the Algerian’s £30 million move to Al-Ahli is on the verge of completion, with Mahrez due for his medical in the next few days.

City are expected to replace the outgoing Algerian international with a new signing, as Pep Guardiola prepares to lose a forward who has scored 78 goals during his five-years at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City have recently been linked with a move for RB Leipzig attacker Dani Olmo and Barcelona’s Raphinha if Riyad Mahrez leaves the club this summer.

Cherki has now emerged as a target for City and they are considering joining Chelsea in their pursuit of the teenager.

That’s according to 90min, who have reported that Pep Guardiola’s side see Cherki as one of a number of players they could bring in this summer if Mahrez leaves.

The midfielder made his debut for Lyon at only 16 years old and went onto make history when he became the youngest-ever player to feature in the Champions League semi-final when he was subbed on against Bayern Munich in August 2020.

Now 18, Cherki has already racked up 102 appearances for Lyon in all tournaments, scoring 14 goals and setting up 16 more for the French powerhouses in that time.

The 2022-23 campaign saw Cherki come up with five goals and six assists from 39 matches, during which time he was deployed on both wings and as a number 10.

The 2003-born playmaker has also made a name for himself at international level with six goals and three assists in 14 matches for France’s Under-21s, including two strikes at the recent Under-21 Euros.

Cherki’s rapid breakthrough has naturally alerted teams from the Premier League, and Chelsea are rumoured to be very interested in signing the Lyon youngster.

The Daily Mail have claimed Lyon’s difficult financial position means they would be willing to part ways with Cherki if they received a reasonable offer. Reports have claimed Lyon are hoping to rake in around £43m from his departure.

The report shared on Twitter gathered a number of replies from a wide range of Man City supporters.

WOULD MUCH RATHER HIM THEN RAPHINHA

— Cyrus 🙇🏻‍♂️ (@SilkyCyrus_74) July 20, 2023

@Ind0miemu: “Better option than Raphinha”

@xlucosaurrr: “He’s a baller.”

@MCFCAds: “Get it done. Absolute baller and perfect replacement.”

@tbuxfn: “The perfect replacement.”

@CodyC901: “As a Lyon supporter, I love this move. He’s not the flashiest, but he’s a solid player. He’ll fit in well to Pep’s high rotation squads.”

@RicoLewisBurner: “Better than the other options I’ve been seeing, but we can still do much better tbf.”

@MisterCity19: “Honstley haven’t watched much of this guy, so I don’t know him well. I’d rather have Raphinha to be honest. He has PL experience and he ripped apart teams while he was in the PL.”

@theconqueror567: “As long as it’s not Raphinha just bring anyone.”

@lifewithNour: “19 years of age. Excellent dribbler. Good on his left and right foot. Good handling of the ball. Amazing in tight spaces. If City is moving to wingers who are more like Mahrez and Grealish then he’s the perfect replacement for Riyad. Pep could turn him into a star. 19 years only!”