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Liverpool handed Rayan Cherki transfer boost as Lyon face up to bombshell decision
Liverpool have been handed a telling boost in their pursuit of rumoured transfer target Rayan Cherki. Emerging reports in France this week indicate the Reds have made a fresh 'enquiry' over the availability of the 21-year-old attacker - with L'Equipe claiming Lyon value Cherki at £20.8million after he signed a contract extension with the club in September running until 2026.
However, further reports coming from France on Friday suggest Lyon might have lost some of their bargaining power with Get French Football News claiming the Ligue 1 club have received significant sanctions by the DNCG. The report states the football financial watchdog have hit the club with a provisional relegation to Ligue 2, as well as a transfer ban.
It has previously been suggested Lyon's debt has risen from €458million to €508million, while owner John Textor has told DNCG they will be able to sell players in order to balance the books. Despite the American's confidence, it seems Lyon could be relegated to the second division if their financial situation does not drastically improve.
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As a result of those developments, GFFN say Lyon might be forced to sell some of their star assets for a cut-price fee in upcoming transfer windows - in a desperate attempt to raise funds. Liverpool-linked Cherki has been named as one of those who could be offloaded, along with Belgian international winger Malick Fofana.
Liverpool were, initially, linked with Cherki this summer, but they instead opted to sign Italy international Federico Chiesa from Juventus. The 27-year-old has so far made just three appearances across all competitions due to fitness issues caused by the player's lack of a pre-season.
Arne Slot's side are also not the only club to be linked with attacker Cherki, though, with Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, Fulham, West Ham and Real Madrid also credited with interest across recent times. In turn, these developments in France will no doubt lead to a Europe's top clubs monitoring the situation as the January transfer window approaches.
