Former Chelsea youth player and Charlton Athletic star, Miles Leaburn has claimed that Rayan Cherki, who joined Manchester City this summer, previously declined a transfer to Chelsea.
Cherki, 22, had garnered admiration from both fans and analysts since leaving his childhood club, Olympique Lyonnais in a potential £34 million transfer last summer.
He scored 11 goals and provided 14 assists in 49 matches across all competitions for his team, securing the EFL Cup this season.
However, Cherki reportedly turned down an opportunity to join Chelsea’s youth academy at the age of 12 in 2015.
The 22-year-old EFL Championship striker also mentioned that training alongside the France international was one of the highlights of his early career at Cobham.
The Charlton Athletic player recently shared with The Sun, “He came over from France and was rainbow-flicking guys in training. I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, this is incredible’.
“He genuinely rejected the chance to play for Chelsea because he likely found it too easy. He was far superior to everyone else… absolute quality. That was one of the standout moments of the eight years or so I spent at Chelsea.”
Cherki, who made his senior debut for Lyon at the age of 16 in October 2019, was also pursued by Manchester United, according to talkSPORT.
However, the player declined the Red Devils’ offer in early 2019, as he was eager to commence his senior career at Lyon.
The two-footed play-maker is expected to next feature for Manchester City in their FA Cup semi-final against Southampton this Saturday (April 25).