Chelsea alerted as wonderkid faces uncertain future

Tom Weber

• Updated: 6 Jul 2023 21:37 BST
• 3 min read

Olympique Lyon may be forced into cashing in on Chelsea target Rayan Cherki due to their financial issues, claims a report.

The 19-year-old Lyon native has emerged as a potential Blues target in recent days after impressing during the 2022/23 season. The versatile attacker chipped in with four goals and six assists in what proved to be another disappointing campaign for one of French football's fallen giants.

The seven-time champions have found staying in the top four of Ligue 1 difficult in recent years. In the past four seasons, Lyon have finished seventh and lower three times. A less-than-satisfactory economic situation has also played its part and it may force the club into selling some of their young talent in order to finance incomings.

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According to CaughtOffside, Bradley Barcola is one potential candidate to get sold. He is being linked with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig. Another potential departure could be Rayan Cherki.

Cherki on the market?

Regarded as one of France's most intriguing and unique talents, the attacking midfielder is an excellent technician, but he could be forced to leave his boyhood club this summer.

Ligue 1 expert Jonathan Johnson wrote in the above-cited report that Lyon have "had some limitations set on them by the French football financial watchdog..." He continued: "I think we can therefore expect one or maybe two significant departures from Lyon this summer."

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“Rayan Cherki," Johnson went on, "could be one to watch. There have been reports linking him with Chelsea...He’s somebody firmly on the radar of top European clubs, as we saw when PSG tried for him last year."

When asked to choose between Chelsea and Manchester United in a YouTube video in 2020, Cherki picked the Blues, so he may not be averse to making a switch to Stamford Bridge.