Olympic Lyon have been provisionally relegated from the top flight by the national management audit committee, which monitors the club’s financial situation, due to their tenure problems. In order to avoid relegation from Ligue Deux, the club is moving to resolve the problem and is considering releasing its main players.
The French club has former Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette and former Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic, but the biggest eye-catcher is the departure of 21-year-old midfielder Rayan Cherki, who also played in the Olympics last summer.
According to Spanish newspaper Fichajes, the young attacker has attracted interest from various strong European clubs, but Liverpool are the main favourites for a new destination.
Lyon are also expected to be willing to sell for around £19 million, with the Merseyside club prepared to pay around the same amount.
He can operate as an attacking midfielder or left or right winger, and creates numerous chances with his excellent ball control and outstanding vision. He has scored 22 goals and provided 33 assists in 163 games for his current club and is waiting to make his debut for France.
He is certainly an attractive player, as he could be a potential successor to Mohamed Salah. However, a similar player in England U-21 midfielder Harvey Elliott has been improving his performances recently and a more scoring winger is urgently needed.
Will Liverpool still give the French U-23 midfielder the white feather…?