Coventry City have agreed a €24.5 million transfer fee with Fenerbahce for striker Sidiki Chérif, with the 19-year-old's medical scheduled for today. The deal makes Chérif the second attacking addition Coventry have confirmed in rapid succession, following a separate agreement for Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi.
Chérif is keen on the move and is set to sign a five-year contract with the Sky Blues. He will leave Turkish football immediately upon completing formalities.
The fee represents a premium on what Fenerbahce paid to sign him permanently. Chérif originally joined the Istanbul club on loan last February with a mandatory €21 million purchase clause, meaning Coventry are paying €3.5 million above that figure to prise him away.
The striker began his career at SCO Angers in France, where he made his professional debut in Aug. 2023 and went on to feature 36 times for the Ligue 1 side. That development record drew interest from Fenerbahce, who brought him to Turkey on that loan arrangement.
During the 2025-26 season at Fenerbahce, Chérif made 16 appearances, scoring three goals and providing one assist. The numbers are modest — he spent much of the season as a squad player rather than a guaranteed starter. The ceiling is what Coventry are paying for, not the current output.
At 19, Chérif fits the profile of a club that has just reached the Premier League and needs to build a forward line capable of competing at the top level. Coventry are spending real money — two striker deals agreed in the same window is a clear statement of intent from a side that knows goals will be the difference between survival and relegation.
The Awoniyi deal was confirmed separately, with his medical also ongoing. Awoniyi brings Premier League experience from Nottingham Forest, while Chérif brings raw youth and a trajectory that Coventry's coaching staff clearly believe points upward. The two signings address different parts of the same problem: a promoted side needs proven quality and developing talent in equal measure.
For Fenerbahce, selling at €24.5 million on a player they bought for €21 million represents a quick profit on a one-season hold. The Turkish club activated the mandatory purchase clause, owned Chérif outright and have now sold him at a gain inside 18 months — straightforward business for a club that operates as a stepping stone between European feeder markets and England's top flight.
Chérif's path — Angers to Fenerbahce to the Premier League before his 20th birthday — is the modern template for a certain type of developing attacker. French academies produce the raw material, Turkish football provides a competitive but lower-pressure environment to develop, and Premier League clubs arrive with the checkbook once the outline of a player becomes visible. Coventry have done exactly this, and at €24.5 million the bet is that the finished product is worth considerably more.
