With Chelsea heavily involved in the transfer market, the Premier League side will be looking to replenish their attacking options after falling woefully short of expectations last season. A player of significant interest to Mauricio Pochettino's side is Rayan Cherki of Olympique Lyonnais, per ESPN. He has been tracked by a number of Europe's top sides for some time. It was just back at the end of January that Malo Gusto jumped from Groupama Stadium to Stamford Bridge and now another top young talent could be about to make a similar move. Cherki, still just 19, recently caught the eye at the UEFA under-21 Euros with two goals as part of a quarterfinal finish which Les Bleuets will want to better next summer at the Olympics in Paris.
We take a look at the French talent who could potentially be the most complete player to emerge from arguably the top academy in France since Karim Benzema.
Here's what to know about him:
Career
Cherki burst onto the scene back in 2019 shortly after signing professional terms with Lyon and wasted little time in getting minutes both in Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League off the back of some impressive UEFA Youth League performances. The teenager notched his first senior goal in early 2020 in the Coupe de France which set a new senior record for youngest goal scorer at just 16 years and 140 days old. However, it was later that month in a 4-3 Coupe de France win over fellow topflight side FC Nantes that Cherki really showed his immense potential with two goals and two assists. Another record followed in August when he became the youngest player to feature in a Champions League semifinal against eventual winners Bayern Munich but it took until May of 2021 for his first Ligue 1 goal to arrive in a 3-2 win over AS Monaco. It has taken time, but last season saw Cherki feature regularly with four Championnat goals and six assists for a Gones side that has declined on the field in recent years despite some immense young talents.
Trajectory
Long heralded as one of OL's brightest-ever youth prospects, it feels like Cherki has been around longer than he actually has. By the time he was starting to get senior minutes and impressing in 2020, he had already been linked with a number of Europe's biggest clubs. Perhaps the weight of such expectations and the massive levels of hype surrounding his potential have contributed to it taking a relatively long time for him to make himself a first-team regular. However, it is easy to forget that he does not even turn 20 until mid-August when the new Ligue 1 campaign is due to get underway. Off the back of his most productive term yet in Lyon both statistically and also for minutes played, it is little surprise that top continental sides are starting to see that he will soon be ready.
Positives
Cherki playing in Ligue 1, which is renowned for its ability to nurture some of the best young talent in the world, has prepared him for the top level in relatively little time. One more season in France and bit of European experience would arguably be the ideal scenario for clubs interested in him, but that would also give others longer to consider moving. Not yet a senior international for France and also eligible for Algeria and Italy, it is little surprise that he is of such top pedigree. Cherki can use both feet, is good on set pieces and can play across the main attacking positions from out wide to more central in both maker and taker functions. OL's precarious financial situation since John Textor's takeover from longtime president Jean-Michel Aulas is also an opportunity that might not exist in 12 months' time -- something which also applies to other top young Lyon talents such as RB Leipzig target Castello Lukeba.
Negatives
Lyon's current financial situation is as much of a disadvantage as it is an advantage given that the measures taken against the club domestically are impacting Lukeba's ability to complete his move to Leipzig where he could be Josko Gvardiol's replacement. Until that is resolved, any move for Cherki to Chelsea or anywhere else would likely encounter the same problems. OL's lack of recent European action is also a minor drawback given that it has hampered the player's development for the past season or so and will be the same again this campaign if he stays in France -- something he cannot really afford as he enters a critical stage of his career.
Best fits
It is a tricky one given that Cherki would be unlikely to walk into Chelsea's starting XI yet is arguably better than RC Strasbourg Alsace's current level should a loan move be considered -- unlike Montpellier HSC's Elye Wahi should he join. Ligue 1 rivals Paris Saint-Germain have tried for Cherki in the past and would be a good fit despite it strengthening a domestic rival from Lyon's point of view while Juventus and Real Madrid have also been touted for his signature. There is little doubt that his development would be served best by staying in France or at a similar level for at least one more season but not necessarily with OL given their recent lack of continental competition -- not that Chelsea can offer that right now. Should a serious offer arrive for Cherki in the coming weeks, then the French gem could move on if it offers a major solution to Lyon's increasing financial worries.
