"I am waiting for the game (to) kill them" - Manchester City's latest addition Rayan Cherki makes Manchester United claim

New Manchester City signing Rayan Cherki has vowed to make Manchester United pay in the upcoming campaign. The Frenchman was part of the Lyon team that went down 5-4 to the Red Devils in dramatic fashion in the Europa League quarterfinal second leg this season.

Cherki enjoyed a tremendous campaign with the Ligue 1 giants, finishing with 12 goals and 20 assists from 44 games. The 21-year-old was a wanted man this summer, but Manchester City moved quickly to secure his services in a reported £34m deal.

Speaking recently to The Daily Mail, Cherki also suggested he joined the Cityzens to win the Ballon d'Or.

"I didn’t like it when Manchester United won the game against Lyon because I am a Lyonnais. Now I am waiting for the game (to) kill them. I just (wanted) to go to Manchester City," said Cherki.

He continued:

"When I spoke with Pep and he wanted me - he was very, very clear. That the system, the club, the city is very good. I want to win and I think City wants to win it all. For me that’s better. When you see Rodri, he won the Ballon d’Or here – it’s clear that with City it’s possible and I am here for this."

Manchester United were briefly linked to Cherki as well, but have signed Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers instead.

Will Manchester City battle Manchester United for Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen?

Manchester United will face competition from Manchester City in the race to sign Marc-Andre ter Stegen this summer, according to TEAMtalk. The German custodian's future is up in the air following the arrival of Joan Garcia at Barcelona.

While the move isn't official yet, all signs indicate that the Catalans have secured the services of the Espanyol goalkeeper. The situation has left Ter Stegen in a limbo, and the Red Devils are now plotting to prise him away from Camp Nou.

The Premier League giants are apparently on the lookout for an upgrade on Andre Onana, who has divided opinion among fans since arriving from Inter Milan in 2023. Manchester United have already made enquiries about Ter Stegen's availability as they aim to solve their goalkeeping woes.

However, Manchester City are eyeing a replacement for Ederson this summer and have reportedly identified the 33-year-old as an option as well. The Cityzens have also established contact to understand the possibilities of a deal.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit