Manchester United has a new transfer target: Lyon's Rayan Cherki. The forward has been extremely impressive for the French side and Manchester United was not immune to his attacking threat in Lyon.
Who is Rayan Cherki?
Cherki is 21-year-old French forward. Cherki has played with the Lyon first team since the 2019/20 season. Before that, Cherki was with Lyon's U-19 team and Lyon II. He has also played for the French U-21 side.
Cherki has put together some good seasons for Lyon in the early stages of his career. This campaign, Cherki has eight goals and nine assists in Ligue 1. His Europa League campaign has also been fantastic. In 11 games, Cherki has scored three goals and contributed 11 assists.
Under Paulo Fonseca, Cherki has found life at Lyon even better. He has been directly involved in 16 goals since February, with six goals and ten assists. Fonseca has brought out the best in Cherki and will hope that the young Frenchman can bring even more as the Europa League second leg inches closer.
What would Cherki bring to Man United?
Cherki could provide the spark that United need to score goals on a regular basis. He has proven that he can be consistent, both in scoring and assisting. Neither of United's strikers have been able to perform at this level in their times at the club.
Cherki would likely be a cheaper option than the likes of Matheus Cunha and Liam Delap, who have both been linked with moves to United. Cherki could come in for Rasmus Hojlund, a player that Juventus might be interested in. Manchester United has valued Hojlund at around €60m, which is €15 less than United bought him for.
Cherki might find himself on the move in the summer, with Lyon valuing him around £25m. Lyon won't be happy losing one of their star players, but both the player and Lyon have apparently made an agreement about his price tag. United will face competition from Chelsea, who might be in a better position to sign the forward, as they are closer to the guarantee of European football next season.