Barcelona are reportedly weighing up the possibility of singing French prodigy Rayan Cherki, valued at around €20 million by Lyon.
According to a report by Catalan outlet El Nacional, Rayan Cherki is the subject of interest from Barcelona over a possible move in a future transfer window. The French under-21 international is valued at around €20 million by Lyon and is also courted by several other clubs across Europe.
Rayan Cherki spent most of his formative years at Lyon after arriving from Saint-Priest in 2010. In the past decade, the 18-year-old has made significant progress, first rapidly making his way through the ranks at the club before breaking into the first-team setup at the Groupama Stadium early in the 2019/20 season.
Since then, he has come leaps and bounds, making 56 appearances for Les Dogues while chipping in with nine goals and eight assists in the process. The French prodigy’s progress has not gone unnoticed, with some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Barcelona, closely monitoring his progress.
The interest from Barcelona is understandable, considering Ousmane Dembele’s future at the club is up in the air. The Frenchman appears to be running down his Barcelona contract and has been linked with several clubs, with Tottenham Hotspur, the latest big-name outfit to join the race to sign him.
Dembele’s uncertain future forces the Blaugrana to consider replacement options, with Cherki emerging as a viable target. Lyon’s €20 million price tag is also to Barcelona’s liking, and a move is now being discussed seriously at the club.
However, there are concerns over where his allegiances lie, as Cherki has previously admitted to his dream of joining Real Madrid. In addition, the Spanish giants have recently been linked with the French prodigy, although the report claims that they are no longer interested in him.
Such a development does give Barcelona a chance to land the 18-year-old, although the revelation of his dream club has left them with second thoughts. Apart from Barcelona, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and AS Monaco are also interested in Cherki, and his €20 million will attract them further. It remains to be seen where he will end up when he leaves Lyon.