Rayan Cherki has been compared to Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema ahead of a potential transfer to Chelsea this summer. The 19-year-old wonderkid has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge recently as Mauricio Pochettino looks to replace Mason Mount.
football.london understands that the Blues have recently stepped up their pursuit of Cherki following positive conversations with his entourage over a possible deal. It's believed that Chelsea sent scouts to watch the attacking midfielder on several occasions last term , where they also monitored the progress of Malo Gusto, who was signed in January.
Following the departure of Mount, Cherki has been identified as a 'priority signing' with Pochettino eager to further bolster his creative options. It's said that the west Londoners are considering whether or not to send an offer to Lyon , who have not explicitly said that he's not for sale. However, a French football expert has claimed that a deal could be difficult to complete with financial restrictions imposed on Laurent Blanc's side. In an interview with CaughtOffside, Jonathan Johnson said:
"Rayan Cherki continues to attract speculation and the latest is that Chelsea are in for him. "He’s a very exciting talent, somebody who looks to have a great career ahead of him. Similarly to Eden Hazard when he first established himself in Ligue 1, he looks very technically skilled, versatile, and he’s probably the best young player to emerge from Lyon’s youth academy for many years, possibly even since Karim Benzema.
"The only problem with players at Lyon at the moment is the club’s current financial situation – they’ve had limits imposed on them by French football’s financial watchdog. Lyon now have to raise funds, but they’re also very reticent to cash in on some of their young talent.
"Castello Lukeba is of major interest to RB Leipzig now that Josko Gvardiol is nearing a switch to Manchester City, so it’s hard to imagine a situation where OL risk cashing in on Lukeba, Cherki and also Bradley Barcola, who is of major interest to a number of clubs in Europe, especially PSG.
"It’s going to be an interesting and potentially challenging summer for Lyon where all those players have major interest and I think it makes it trickier for any one deal such as Cherki to Chelsea to come off, especially as Lukeba is the one who’s furthest along in sealing a move away at this moment in time."
In an interview with French newspaper Le Progres last week, as quoted by RMC Sport, Blanc addressed the futures of Lukeba and Cherki, who is valued at around £34.6million . The Lyon boss explained why he believes the duo should stay at the club for a further year.
"OL must say, okay if these are figures at an impressive level, but on the other hand at this price (€27 million), I tell him to stay one more year in Lyon," said the 57-year-old. "I'd really mind if he left. It's the same for Cherki. Especially since we made room for them. It would be a little early, but maybe I'm being a little selfish."