Chelsea have been informed that Lyon may be forced into selling Rayan Cherki this summer – and a deal could get done for the right money
CHELSEA have already been busy in this summer transfer market and sign a few players – but also allowing a number of stars to depart as they seek to raise some funds.
Cherki is a man that is now on the agenda of the Chelsea board – as he fits the criteria of being one of the most exciting young players in the game that has the ability to develop into one of the best stars in the game.
It has been claimed that Lyon do not want to sell – but French football expert Jonathan Johnson has suggested that they may be forced into selling some of their best talents this summer.
WHAT HAS HE SAID –
“There’s growing speculation about Bradley Barcola after a really good season with Lyon. He’s a fantastic talent and is being linked with PSG and RB Leipzig. It doesn’t surprise me at all that a club that specialises in identifying young talent like Leipzig are among those interested in him, while he’d also be a good fit for PSG and the direction they’re trying to move in with younger French talents,” Johnson said.
“I think the thing that makes Lyon players interesting at this moment in time is the club’s financial situation. They’ve had some limitations set on them by the French football financial watchdog, so if they are to make any significant moves they will have to sell to buy, and not over-spend on salaries. I think we can therefore expect one or maybe two significant departures from Lyon this summer.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean Barcola will be the one who ends up going, because I’m sure OL would love to keep hold of him and build around him. I think there are other players that are more likely to leave at this moment in time, but while that financial situation remains an issue, there will likely be clubs looking to use that to their advantage and snare top talents like Barcola.
“Rayan Cherki could be one to watch. There have been reports linking him with CHELSEA . He made his breakthrough a bit further in the past than Barcola, and he’s another promising young player who’s been catching the eye for a while now. He’s somebody firmly on the radar of top European clubs, as we saw when PSG tried for him last year. I do think Cherki is someone worth watching as I wouldn’t be surprised if other big clubs were to come in for him as well.
“Lyon are generally not short of talent that would be of interest across Europe. If I were to pick two players likely to be on the move from Lyon this summer, I would probably put Cherki and Castello Lukeba ahead of Barcola at this moment in time, but it depends on the most attractive offers put in front of Lyon while they have these financial issues hanging over them. Once these issues are resolved I think it’ll be harder to get Lyon to sell, so it’s really about whichever club gets in there first with a proposal that is attractive to Lyon.”
