REPORT: Chelsea & Liverpool ‘Willing’ to sign 21-Year-Old Ligue 1 attacker
Given Les Gones’ financial difficulties, Chelsea may be willing to let go of Lyon wonderkid Rayan Cherki, who has been linked to a move.
A recent story from the Spanish publication Fichajes claims as much. There are other Premier League teams rumored to be interested in the player outside Chelsea, including Arne Slot’s Liverpool.
Right now, the two teams are hoping to pay around £17 million to acquire Cherki. Lyon is not in a position to be making demands, but they will try to obtain more money than this.
Chelsea’s interest in Cherki has been long standing – the Blues have been chasing the player for well over a year at this point. As such, they will likely be determined to land his signature before any of his other potential suitors do.
Chelsea have been looking for a long term successor to Eden Hazard ever since the Belgian left the club. No one has taken on this mantle since – but they have identified Cherki as a worthy heir.
So far this season, Cherki has played in 13 games across all competitions, scoring two goals and notching up three assists in both Ligue 1 and the Europa League. His contract is not due to expire until the summer of 2026 – as such, if Chelsea want to bring him to Stamford Bridge on a free transfer, they will need to wait.
Cherki himself may not want to leave Lyon, despite their ongoing plight. He has been at the club since 2010, when he was just seven years old. The decision will probably be out of his hands, however – not only have Lyon been provisionally relegated to Ligue 2, they are also under a transfer ban. They need to amass funds as soon as possible to offset their losses – selling Cherki would be a great way to do this.