Reports from Europe have suggested that Liverpool may seek to take advantage of the extreme financial woes of one famous name on the continent.
On Friday, French football was rocked by the news that Lyon – who won seven league titles in a row in the 2000s and have been regulars in the Champions League – have been provisionally relegated from Ligue 1 due to enormous debts reportedly topping £500m (talkSPORT).
Les Gones have a rich history of producing and/or developing some of the top talents in the European game, and a current star at the Groupama Stadium could be ripe for the picking.
Liverpool enquire again about Cherki
According to L’Equipe, Liverpool have submitted a fresh enquiry to Lyon about Rayan Cherki, about whom the Reds had previously asked in August.
The playmaker is reportedly valued at around €25m (£20.9m), which’d be a bargain for a highly-rated 21-year-old who’s also believed to have caught the eye of Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
Les Gones are hoping that they can keep the youngster for the rest of this season, although their parlous financial situation might necessitate a January sale.
Liverpool could snap up Cherki for a bargain
Despite only turning 21 in August, Cherki has already played more than 150 times for Lyon’s first team, having made his debut as a 16-year-old in 2019.
When he first broke through at the Groupama Stadium, Kylian Mbappe tweeted ‘Don’t talk to him too much about age’ – translation: the kid was already performing with a maturity far beyond his tender years.
Typically playing as a number 10 or right winger, the French youngster excels across a number of attributes, most notably his dribbling ability. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of positional peers over the past year for successful take-ons per 90 minutes with 4.48.
He’s also among the top 2% for assists (0.43) and shot-creating actions (6.5) per 90 minutes, along with the top 3% for progressive passes per game (7.78).
For Liverpool to pick up a player of such wide-ranging talent for just over £20m would represent excellent business in today’s market, although it’s never nice to witness any club experiencing the extremely precarious financial situation in which Lyon now find themselves.
Even if the Reds were to acquire Cherki in 2025, hopefully the Ligue 1 outfit can restore enough financial stability to avoid a repeat of the fate which has befallen fellow French giants Bordeaux this year.
