Fabrizio Romano has addressed widespread reports that Liverpool holds an interest in Olympique Lyon star Rayan Cherki.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed the extent of Liverpool interest in Olympique Lyon star Rayan Cherki.
The 21-year-old attacking midfielder has been linked to the club by local French reports, and seemingly falls into the ‘opportunistic strategy’ Liverpool fans keep hearing in the media.
Cherki has a verbal “gentleman’s agreement” with Lyon that allows him to leave if a bid of €22.5 million arrives, despite only signing a contract extension in September that runs until 2026.
Lyon’s precarious financial position, facing provisional relegation to Ligue 2 due to mounting debts of €500 million, has forced them to consider selling their prized assets
Cherki has impressed this season with five goals and eight assists in 22 appearances across all competitions6
The French U21 international’s statistical profile is remarkable, ranking in the top 1% of positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues for plenty of key stats.
Rayan Cherki in Men’s Top 5 LeaguesPer 90PercentileNon-Penalty Goals0.3164Assists0.5199Shot-Creating Actions7.5699Progressive Passes9.4599Successful Take-Ons4.5599Touches (Att Pen)7.0091
Borussia Dortmund, who came close to signing him last summer, along with Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich maintain interest.
West Ham United, Chelsea, and Tottenham have also been linked with the player in the past.
What did Fabrizio Romano say about Liverpool and Rayan Cherki?
Speaking to Give Me Sport, the Italian transfer guru revealed that the release clause is a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ between Cherki and his club:
“He [Cherki] has a release clause. It’s not a proper clause, but it’s a gentleman’s agreement – made with the president of Olympique Lyon, John Textor, in the summer when he signed a new contract at Olympique Lyon – for €22.5million.”
Fabrizio Romano adds that the player is ‘available now’ amid plenty of suitors showing their interest:
“The player is available already now. This sort of clause is also valid in the summer, but also now, so it’s a big opportunity for many clubs. Cherki received many calls from Germany, from England, from Italy – many agents who wanted to understand the situation around him.”
Concluding with Liverpool, Romano suggests that while there could be tentative movement from the club regarding Cherki – he is not aware of any ‘proper negotiations’
“But my information is that at the moment, there is still nothing really close. There could be movement with Liverpool at the moment. The appreciation of the player in terms of scouting him has been there, because they’ve been following the player.”
“They are always following talents, but at the moment, I’m not aware of a proper negotiation between Liverpool and Olympique Lyon for Cherki.”
Cherki has established himself as one of France’s most promising young talents – and falls into the age bracket that FSG likes to invest in.
His versatility allows him to operate across multiple attacking positions, fitting the profile Liverpool typically seeks in forward players.
It then is certainly one to watch as we head into the summer and beyond, as all signs seem to point to Cherki being an archetype Michael Edwards signing.
