Liverpool to sign 'one of the best in Europe'

Liverpool have been tipped to conduct a summer transfer revamp of their forward line. We could see Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota LEAVE as Arne Slot and Richard Hughes plot upgrades.

Among the potential incoming names up front could be Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak while there is plenty of attacking midfield talent linked too.

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Rayan Cherki is a supremely gifted playmaker for Lyon, who was first linked with the Reds ahead of the winter transfer window.

Supposedly in possession of a “gentleman’s agreement” to leave his hometown club if a reported £25 million clause is met, Cherki is out of contract in 2026.

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Liverpool could pounce for a bargain deal this summer with the France under-21 international now delivering on his immense potential.

Cherki has been in and around Lyon’s first team since the age of 16 but has stepped up his contributions this term.

He’s got eight goals and nine assists in the French top flight and has been integral to Lyon’s Europa League fortunes too - scoring in both quarter-final legs against Manchester United.

'Eyes of the tiger'

Pierre Sage, the former Lyon head coach, recently gave an interview to the Athletic, where he expanded on Cherki’s talents.

It’s clear from his words that Liverpool would be picking up one of the finest talents in the game, and one which has finally managed to find the right blend of skill and work-rate.

First of all, he described the situation in a game last year against Toulouse when Cherki was again named among the substitutes.

“Toulouse were winning 2-1,” he said. “I looked at him and I asked him, ‘Are you angry? Are you nervous?’. But not nervous when you can’t do anything, nervous to fight.

“He looked at me with the eyes of the tiger. I thought, ‘Maybe he’ll be good today’. He was crazy. It was the Cherki game. We won 3-2.”

'Really special' Cherki among the best in Europe

Cherki was denied a move last summer and had to train with Lyon’s B team before being reintroduced to the main group.

“I told him when he came back, ‘Now this kind of thing, you have to put into the entire game. So you have to attack, you have to press with the team, you have to manage the balance between the two, but you have to stay the player you were’,” Sage said.

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“We see the player he is now. I’m happy because every player can be at their best for three games, but Rayan is one of the best in every statistic in Europe. He has something really special.”