Florent Malouda tells Manchester City fans what to expect from Rayan Cherki

Manchester City's summer revamp continued with the acquisition of Rayan Cherki from Lyon and Florent Malouda believes the innovative midfielder will flourish at the Etihad Stadium.

Cherki was the subject of transfer interest from across Europe with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool vying for his signature.

The allure of working under Pep Guardiola convinced Cherki that a move to Manchester City was the best step in his fledgling career and the 21-year-old put pen to paper on a five-year deal.

Amassing just shy of 200 appearances for Lyon since making his professional debut in 2019, Cherki enjoyed his most productive campaign last term with 32 goal contributions in all competitions and his form resulted in a maiden call-up to the France national team.

With Kevin De Bruyne departing the Citizens at the end of his contract this month, the Lyon academy product is viewed as the solution to Guardiola's creative void as the Catalan tactician aims to restore his side at the top of the Premier League next season.

Speaking exclusively to bet365, former Lyon star Malouda has been suitably impressed with Cherki's development over the previous 18 months and believes Guardiola's immense expectations will help the prodigious France international to elevate his game to another level.

"Everyone knew from the academy that he was one of the biggest prospects," said Malouda.

"He managed to find his form in the second half of the 2023/24 season after there were doubts about his ability to express his talent at Lyon at the beginning of the campaign.

"But I think the experience of going to the Olympics helped him to develop his mindset.

"I still believe he is a raw talent. You only have to see what he's doing now for the French national team - on his first call-up, he scored his first goal - and I think it's helped him to realise his potential.

"For Lyon, it's obviously a pity because they've lost an extremely important player.

"But for him, to have an opportunity like this at Manchester City under a manager like Pep Guardiola where he is included in such an ambitious squad with the mindset of winning trophies, I think it's what he needs to push himself to the next level."

Jaquob Crooke

• Manchester City F.C.
• Premier League
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