Sky sources: Liverpool could sign dribbling wizard who’s ‘comparable to Messi’ for less than £20m
Liverpool may be able to pick up one of the most gifted young players in European football for less than £20m this year, if recent reports are to be believed.
We’re now beyond the midway point of the transfer window and there’s still no discernible sign of any incoming activity at Anfield, despite Jamie Carragher’s pleas earlier this week for a defender to be added to the squad.
However, one player in whom the Reds are believed to have shown an interest of late could potentially be prised away from his current club for a song.
Liverpool could take advantage of Cherki contract agreement
Last month, Santi Aouna of Foot Mercato reported that Liverpool had been ‘working behind the scenes’ on a swoop for Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki, with the Ligue 1 outfit languishing in a precarious financial position and needing to raise funds in order to avoid an enforced demotion to the French second tier.
According to Sky Sports Germany, the 21-year-old is open to a departure from the Groupama Stadium despite signing a new contract just four months ago, and there’s a verbal agreement between him and the club which’d allow him to leave before the end of his current deal (June 2026) if an offer of €22.5m (£19m) is made.
Their report didn’t mention whether or not the Reds remain interested in him, instead stating that clubs from the Bundesliga ‘continue to monitor the situation’.
What qualities could Cherki add to Liverpool?
Cherki has registered five goals and eight assists in 21 games for Lyon so far this season (Transfermarkt), although even he wasn’t able to spare them from a shock penalty shootout defeat in the Coupe de France in midweek by fifth-tier outfit Bourgoin-Jallieu.
OL president Jean-Michel Aulas hasn’t felt compelled to temper the hype around the youngster, saying that he’s ‘comparable to Messi in terms of technical quality’ (G0AL), and the France under-23 international boasts some traits which are reminiscent of the Argentine great.
He’s a phenomenal dribbler, as evidenced by placing among the top 1% of positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year for successful take-ons per game (4.55), as per FBref. He’s also in the 99th percentile with his match averages for assists (0.53), shot-creating actions (7.65) and progressive passes (9.41).
Cherki’s ceiling is massive, and Lyon’s desperate need to raise funds could play into the hands of prospective suitors, but how likely are Liverpool to try and take advantage of that situation?
Arne Slot currently has an abundance of options on both flanks and in the number 10 role, although a cut-price swoop for the French youngster would give them an extra sprinkling of quality and go some way to compensating for potential exits, most notably Mo Salah.
It’s hard to see the Reds pouncing for the 21-year-old this month, but if he were to remain with his current club beyond that, there still seems an opportunity for Richard Hughes to pull off what’d be a very shrewd coup.
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