Barcelona plotting €20 million move for French youngster: Reports
Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Lyon prodigy Rayan Cherki, who is currently worth €20 million. According to El Nacional, a move for the French under-21 international might be on the cards.
Cherki joined Lyon in 2010 from Saint Priest, making his debut for the first team in the 2019-20 season. He has made 56 appearances for Les Gones, scoring nine and assisting eight. His progress hasn't gone unnoticed, with many top clubs monitoring him closely.
🇫🇷 Another top performance from Rayan Cherki...
🔴🔵 Your all-time favourite Lyon player = ______
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Barcelona's interest is likely due to Dembele not agreeing a contract extension yet. The 24-year-old will be able to enter discussions with other clubs from January if an agreement is not reached by then. Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly seeking the star's signature as well.
Cherki seems like a viable replacement for Dembele, and the former's valuation of €20 million given by Lyon appears reasonable to Barcelona as well. However, his previous admittance of Real Madrid being his dream club might be an issue.
Los Blancos were previously reported to have monitored his development, but are no longer interested in him. Despite their arch-rivals out of the race, Barcelona would still have the likes of Juventus, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and AS Monaco to contend with.
Barcelona have opened talks to sign Erling Haaland
El Nacional has also reported that cash-strapped Barcelona have jumped to the front of the queue in the race to sign Borussia Dortmund's phenomenal Norwegian striker Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian apparently wants to join Barcelona, as he would be able to lead their attack. At Real Madrid, who are also looking to sign the striker, Haaland would have to share the limelight with Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior and possibly Kylian Mbappe.
Barcelona cannot register any new signings, not Memphis Depay, Sergio Agüero, Eric García or Emerson Royal, after exceeding the La Liga salary limit.
Despite selling Konrad de la Fuente, Jean-Clair Todibo, and Junior Firpo, Barcelona need to reduce their wage bill by €200,000.
Barcelona are in desperate need of firepower up front after Sergio Aguero was hospitalised due to heart complications. If they cannot sign Cherki, the Norwegian start might be their next option.