Why Dortmund’s move for Cherki fell through

L’Equipe has published a report containing some interesting information about Borussia Dortmund’s failed move for Rayan Cherki.

Borussia Dortmund failed in their pursuit of Rayan Cherki as Olympique Lyon rejected a €22.5m bid for the attacking midfielder.

Lyon owner John Textor hit out at Borussia Dortmund’s bid, saying it was “disrespectfully communicated, well below market value and at the wrong time”.

According to French newspaper L’Equipe, Cherki was eager to make the move and had a verbal agreement with Lyon that he could leave if an offer of €22.5 million was made.

The player even sent a formal message, drafted by his lawyers, asking those in charge to accept the offer based on various legal clauses, but Lyon still decided to reject Dortmund’s advances.

The main reason for this was that Lyon didn’t feel they had time to find a suitable replacement for Cherki, especially as they are currently only allowed to sign players on free loans due to financial restrictions.

According to L’Equipe, Textor expects a higher offer to be made for Cherki in the summer, at which point Dortmund could try again.

The 21-year-old’s contract expires in the summer of 2026, but will reportedly be automatically extended if he doesn’t move by 1 September.