'Bid submitted': Rayan Cherki deadline day development after Man Utd and Liverpool 'contact'

It is starting to look increasingly likely that Manchester United will not add a new striker to their ranks before the transfer window closes at 11pm. The Red Devils completed a deal for left-back Patrick Dorgu over the weekend but Ruben Amorim is still keen to recruit a striker.

The United boss opted to use Kobbie Mainoo in a false nine role over selecting Joshua Zirkzee or Rasmus Hojlund in his starting line-up in the 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

Mathys Tel and Christopher Nkunku were two players on the club’s radar but Tel has decided to join Tottenham Hotspur on loan after rejecting a permanent move just a few days ago. Meanwhile, Nkunku does not want to leave Chelsea on deadline day leaving United with fewer options as they look to the market to help resolve their goal-scoring issues.

Bid made for United target

Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki is another player the Red Devils were said to be monitoring ahead of the transfer deadline. According to a report from Caught Offside last week, United and their Premier League rivals Liverpool made contact with the French club to enquire about the midfielder. However, despite facing serious financial struggles Lyon are reluctant to lose Cherki due to the late nature of the enqurieis.

According to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Borussia Dortmund had a deadline day bid rejected by Lyon. He reported on X: “Borussia Dortmund have submitted a €22.5m offer for Rayan Cherki in the last few hours. Lyon have rejected the offer.”

In a further update, he added: “Olympique Lyon still do not want to let Rayan Cherki go. The deal is very complicated. When asked by Sky, OL officials stated that several offers by BVB [sic] have been rejected and that Lyon are not willing to continue negotiations over Cherki. Sources from OL say that Dortmund are “too late.””

Who is Rayan Cherki?

The 21-year-old is an attacking midfielder and came through the Lyon academy and made his senior debut in the Champions League in November 2019, aged just 16. He scored his first senior goal for Lyon in January 2020. He is under contract with the Ligue 1 club until 2026 and has scored 22 goals and provided 34 assists in 167 games for Lyon.

The midfielder has represented France at Under-16, Under-19 and Under-21 level and also was part of the side that earned a silver medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He made eight appearances, scoring two goals. Cherki will just have one year remaining on his deal come the end of the season and could be available for a cut-price fee if he opts against a new deal.

Since arriving as minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been keen to add young talent to United’s squad. He said last year: "The solution isn't spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They've done that if you look at what they've done the last 10 years, they have spent a lot of money on a couple of great players. The first thing you need to do is get the right people in the right boxes managing the club and make sure we get recruitment right, that's such a vital part of a football club, getting recruitment right."

In other news, Manchester United are in the market for a new forward on transfer deadline day and it is understood they have also rejected an offer for a striker already at the club.