Exclusive: Man United & Liverpool likely to try again for transfer of 27 G/A “wizard” | OneFootball

Manchester United and Liverpool are among the clubs continuing to consider a transfer swoop for in-form Lyon star Rayan Cherki.

Sources with a close understanding of the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Cherki is expected to leave Lyon this summer after also attracting interest in January.

The talented young Frenchman was the subject of enquiries from Man Utd and Liverpool during the January window, as CaughtOffside reported at the time, and sources expect them to try again for him in the summer.

Cherki has continued to impress for Lyon this season, with a total of 10 goals and 17 assists in all competitions, including with a goal against United in their 2-2 draw in the Europa League this week.

Arsenal, Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund also remain teams to watch in the race for Cherki’s signature, CaughtOffside understands.

Rayan Cherki transfer: What next for Lyon’s wing “wizard”?

Rayan Cherki in action for Lyon (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Cherki has superb natural talent and would surely be a joy to watch in the Premier League, giving United in particular some much-needed spark in attack.

The Red Devils need upgrades on flops and misfits like Marcus Rashford and Antony, while Alejandro Garnacho also doesn’t look at his best at the moment, and perhaps isn’t the right fit for Ruben Amorim’s system.

Cherki, however, is good enough that he could be someone for United to build around, while he’d also arguably be an upgrade on Luis Diaz and the injury-prone Diogo Jota at Anfield.

Speaking about Cherki to BBC Sport earlier this week, former Arsenal defender Ainsley Maitland-Niles spoke extremely highly of Cherki.

“He is the best natural talent I’ve ever seen. An absolute master, a wizard with the ball,” Maitland-Niles said.

“He is taking chances, assists and dragging us up the pitch by taking people on and nutmegging them – he is a genius.”

Cherki is surely too good to stay at Lyon for much longer, so it will be interesting to see how this saga develops in the weeks and months ahead.