"Having him with us is more important than anything" - Club president confirms PSG transfer target will not be sold in January
Olympique Lyonnais president Jean-Michel Aulas has insisted that Les Gones will not entertain offers for Rayan Cherki despite interest from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
PSG are looking to bring in a replacement for Pablo Sarabia, who they sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers for €5 million earlier this month. They have seemingly identified Lyon's Cherki as the ideal candidate.
There have been claims that they have initiated contact with Les Gones to discuss a deal for Cherki. Christophe Galtier's side are hopeful of getting the transfer across the line before the transfer window closes.
La piste souhaitée par le #PSG pour remplacer Pablo Sarabia se nomme Rayan Cherki #Mercato
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RMC Sport has claimed that PSG have already tabled an offer for the France Under-21 international. Lyon, on the other hand, have reportedly not entirely closed the door on sanctioning a move for him this month.
However, Aulas has now suggested that Cherki is not for sale during the ongoing winter transfer window. The Lyon president expressed his desire to keep the attacker at the club, having committed to developing him as a player. He wrote on Twitter:
"Rayan [Cherki] is a child of the club who is part of our project, seeing him courted is normal and makes us proud of our academy too, but having him with us is much more important than anything."
@OL Rayan est un enfant du club qui s’inscrit dans notre projet , le voir courtisé est normal et nous rend fier de notre académie aussi , mais l’avoir avec nous est bien plus important que tout #Rayan https://t.co/Xcgx7lxZWJ
Aulas has always been a tough negotiator, with clubs often finding it hard to reach an agreement with him. It now remains to be seen if PSG can convince him to sanction a transfer for Cherki this month.
The 19-year-old attacker will enter the final year of his contract with Lyon this summer. Les Gones could thus be tempted to cash in on him if he does not put pen to paper on a fresh deal.
Cherki has been a regular for Lyon this season, making 16 league appearances so far. He found the back of the net once and provided three assists for his teammates in those matches.
PSG are also interested in Milan Skriniar
PSG, managed by Galtier, have had a relatively quiet winter transfer window so far. However, this does not mean that the reigning Ligue 1 champions have been inactive in the market.
Apart from working on a deal for Cherki, Les Parisiens have also been linked with a move for Inter Milan's Milan Skriniar. They failed in their efforts to sign the defender last summer, but remain interested in him.
It is worth noting that Skriniar has his contract with the Serie A giants expiring at the end of the season. The French champions could thus look to sign him for a cut-price fee this month.