Rayan Cherki to Newcastle: O'Rourke updates after '£33m' deal agreed
Newcastle United will have to pay a hefty fee to sign Rayan Cherki in the January transfer window, sources have told Football Insider.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed that Lyon have “put a price tag on his head” for this month.
The French outfit ideally do not want to lose him as Cherki is considered to be their “star man” in the squad, having scored five goals and provided eight assists in 23 appearances this season.
Lyon are set to gain a financial boost of £33million following Luiz Enrique’s transfer from Botafogo to Zenit St. Petersburg as the sporting rights were owned by the Ligue 1 side.
That is making a potential deal for Cherki difficult for Newcastle as Lyon are not in a position where they need to sell the attacking midfielder.
The 21-year-old is out of contract in 2026, therefore Lyon could wait until the summer before deciding to cash in on him if they cannot agree on an extension.
Newcastle face competition to sign Rayan Cherki
Another problem Newcastle are set to face is the amount of competition to sign Cherki, as he is an in-demand player.
Well-placed sources have told Football Insider that Bayern Munish, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayer Leverkusen are all interested in the attacking midfielder.
There is also interest from other clubs in the Premier League, and that could drive his price tag even higher.
Newcastle are not in the strongest financial position to splash the cash this month due to concerns surrounding profit and sustainability rules.
That could also have an impact on their interest in Cherki if the price tag ends up becoming too high.
In other news, Lloyd Kelly: Defender’s stance on quitting Newcastle revealed.
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