Man Utd and Man City battle for wonderkid 'comparable to Messi'

Tom Weber

Updated: 21 Apr 2025 11:25 CDT
4 min read

Lyon star Rayan Cherki has 'a talent comparable to Lionel Messi' and could become as good as Mesut Ozil, according to the club's long-time former president Jean-Michel Aulas and current captain Alexandre Lacazette.

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The 21-year-old is enjoying a brilliant season after a couple of disappointing years. Cherki, regarded as one of France's biggest prospects since his teenage years, is back to his best ahead of what is bound to be a huge summer for his career.

STATS

Rayan Cherki

F (R), M, AMC

Lyon

Rayan Cherki

F (R), M, AMC

Lyon

40

Games
12

Goals
18

Assists

The Lyon native is expected to belatedly leave his boyhood club in the upcoming window due to the Ligue 1 side's ongoing financial problems. Lyon still need to raise sizeable funds to stave off a provisional relegation to Ligue 2.

Cherki was already expected to leave last year, but moves to PSG and Dortmund fell through, with the latter also failing with an approach in January. This summer, the story will be different, though, and Cherki has no shortage of suitors after his career revival.

The attacking midfielder has notched an impressive 12 goals and 18 assists across all competitions, which has attracted the attention of Man Utd and Man City.

Cherki 'comparable to Messi'

The form Cherki has shown this season certainly suggests that he could be a hit in the Premier League. In fact, according to former Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas and current captain Alexandre Lacazette, the youngster could become one of the world's best.

Earlier this year, Aulas described Cherki as having "a talent comparable to Messi in terms of technique.” Now, Lacazette has lavished similar praise on his teammate, comparing him to former Real Madrid and Arsenal star Mesut Ozil.

"Already, in everyday life, Rayan is special and different; he has imagination. That's why, on the pitch, he imagines and sees a lot of things. He is clearly of the same calibre as all the best playmakers I've played with," Lacazette told L'Equipe.

"I would maybe put Mesut Ozil even higher, but with time, Rayan can catch up with him." The striker also added that Cherki has matured a lot, no longer playing just "for himself and for his teammates" but actually playing "with his teammates."

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