Liverpool backed to hijack Rayan Cherki deal – ‘what a great signing’
Rayan Cherki’s future is still up in the air and Liverpool could swoop in to beat Manchester City to his signature this summer.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson said that Lyon‘s desperation to get rid of Cherki leaves the door open for Liverpool to pounce.
Arne Slot’s side will have an additional £150million to spend this summer after their Premier League title success, and could opt to sign Cherki as well as complete a deal for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.
Cherki’s release clause at Lyon stands at £20m with one year left to run on his contract, and Robinson told Football Insider that this should encourage Liverpool to complete a quick deal for the 21-year-old.
Manchester City have emerged as the clear front-runners to sign Cherki this summer, but Robinson said that after Slot met up with the playmaker personally in recent weeks, it’s clear Liverpool want to sign him.
‘Liverpool well placed to complete Cherki and Wirtz transfers’
Much of Liverpool’s attention so far this window has been on bringing Wirtz to Anfield with a £110m bid already submitted, but Cherki’s low release clause by comparison is an opportunity too good to pass up.
Speaking on the latest Inside Track, Robinson urged Liverpool to go all-in with bids for both players, and argued that Cherki and Wirtz could provide the perfect alternative to the likes of the exit-linked Luis Diaz.
“Potentially – why couldn’t they sign both?”, Robinson told Football Insider.
“Liverpool could be in a position – if Diaz moves on, if other players move on – you look at Cherki at 21-years-old, this is going to be a fantastic investment.
“Lyon – we know the financial troubles that they have in the French league. It may not be a deal that’s overly costly to Liverpool.
“His contract expires in 2026, so everything adds up with the financial problems that they’ve got in France; with the length of the player’s contract, his age, everything adds up.
“This is going to be a great signing for somebody if they get him this summer. Obviously he’s a player that Arne Slot likes and he’s gone to see him personally, which immediately gives you an indication that they want to sign him.
“With Wirtz, we know what a talent he is growing into. In last season’s European competitions, he was highly touted as one of the best young players, and he’s certainly living up to that potential.
“He’s going to cost you a pretty penny – Cherki, not so much.”
Cherki and Wirtz could cause overcrowding at Liverpool
Liverpool have wasted no time in their bid to strengthen Slot’s side off the back of their Premier League title win, with Jeremie Frimpong in the building already after they triggered his £29.5m release clause.
With the Reds also on the hunt for a new left-back, left winger and number nine, signing both Wirtz and Cherki could hinder their rebuild as both prefer playing as number tens despite Cherki’s clear versatility.
However, given Cherki could cost Liverpool roughly £100m less than a club-record bid for Wirtz is likely to set them back, completing a deal for the Frenchman could and should be their new priority instead.