Chelsea on red alert with 'next Eden Hazard'

Stuart Telford

• 2 Nov 2023 11:06 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea's attempts to sign Rayan Cherki last summer were rebuffed by Lyon, but the Ligue 1 wonderkid has fallen out of favour under Fabio Grosso, presenting the Blues an opportunity.

Cherki is considered to be one of the most promising players ever produced by Lyon's academy - high praise considering they were also responsible for Karim Benzema, Hatem Ben Arfa and Samuel Umtiti among others.

But while the youngster was held in high regard by former Lyon manager Laurent Blanc, Grosso has had different ideas since he succeeded the former Manchester United centre-back in the Groupama Stadium dugout.

READ: Cherki DROPPED by crisis-hit Lyon for Marseille trip

Cherki has started two of the four Ligue 1 games the Italian has overseen, but he wasn't even named in the squad for Sunday's trip to Marseille - which was cancelled after fans attacked the visitors' team bus, leaving Grosso injured.

Cherki available

"Chelsea could [now] finally get the chance to capture the wonderkid dubbed the 'next Eden Hazard' in January, just months after seeing a bid rejected for the same player," reports the Daily Express' Joe Krishnan.

"The Blues targeted Rayan Cherki as a potential addition to the squad in the summer transfer window, but his club Lyon refused to sell the youngster due to his importance to the club."

READ: Real Madrid receive boost in pursuit of French football's Zidane heir

Cherki is currently valued at €11.2 million by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm with his contract expiring in June 2025, so next summer will be the French club's last chance to extract maximum value for their player.

That valuation could skyrocket should Cherki add more end product to his game. The 20-year-old had four goals and six assists in 34 Ligue 1 games last season, but his average of nearly six shot-creating actions per game over the last year put him in the top fifth percentile by that measure Europe-wide.

Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Juventus are also reportedly interested.