Tottenham Hotspur are through to the Champions League next season after conquering Manchester United in the Europa League Final, but if their 17th-placed finish in the Premier League is any indication, Spurs are going to have to bring in some real difference-makers in the summer 2025 transfer window if they want to avoid embarrassment in European football's premier competition next season.
Lately, Tottenham have been prescribing to a transfer policy of signing young talents before they become stars, such as Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert, and Lucas Bergvall last summer. Now, it is imperative that they continue that approach and gun for players with superstar potential, such as current loan signing Mathys Tel or even Desire Doue, whom they missed out on last summer.
After letting current PSG star Doue go without much of a fight last summer, Tottenham are after an arguably bigger Ligue 1 standout this year in Lyon's Rayan Cherki, who has been earmarked for greatness by the historic French produces of top footballing talent for years. Even Real Madrid were watching him closely.
Manchester City are just as hungry as Tottenham for playmakers
Tottenham may be on the list to sign Cherki, but a new report indicates that they are going to have to get serious and step up their interest in the French playmaker. According to Fabrizio Romano and the Telegraph, Manchester City are interested in signing Cherki and have asked Lyon about his price, which is reportedly a ridiculous bargain at 22.5 million euros with a release clause.
Manchester City are losing club legend Kevin De Bruyne to Napoli this summer, and after a poor season in the Premier League, they want to add some attacking juice to their midfield. Morgan Gibbs-White and AC Milan's underrated Tijjani Reijnders are other options at the 10.
Cherki may only be an alternative to those two, but it may be more likely that Pep Guardiola and City want to sign Cherki in addition to Reijnders or the Premier League's Gibbs-White. With his sweet left foot, Cherki can start as an interior playmaker as a traditional 10 or as an arguably more dangerous inverted playmaker on the right wing.
At just 21 years old and with his price, Cherki is a can't-miss signing for Tottenham. Like Arsenal did with Declan Rice, Tottenham need to step up to the plate, and Daniel Levy needs to show that Spurs are willing to compete with the real big boys of European football like Manchester City for the world's finest young talents like Cherki. They already botched it with PSG signing Doue last year, and Cherki would be an even worse miss for Spurs this summer.