Richard Hughes can turn £19m release clause into Liverpool GOLD

The talk around Liverpool this January has mostly focused on potential outgoings and the contract situations of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk still dragging on.

Any potential incomings seem caveated with the knowledge that even if a deal would be agreed in principle this month, they would not join in actuality until the start of next season in a manner similar to how the Reds agreed to sign Giorgi Mamardashvili this past summer.

However, we have been told time and again that sporting director Richard Hughes is nothing if not opportunistic in the transfer market, and after having missed out on two big-name forwards in the shape of Omar Marmoush and Khvicha Kvaratshkelia, another target is available for far less money.

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Rayan Cherki has been one of Lyon’s standout players for some time now, as his technical and elegant style on the ball has drawn high praise since he broke through there as a teenager. Capable of playing either on the flanks or in behind the striker, Cherki is still only 21, so his best years are surely ahead of him.

Cherki's 'verbal agreement' with Lyon

Lyon face significant financial issues, and Cherki recently signed a new contract in order to assist with helping the French side receive as much money in case of a fire sale.

Thanks to recent reports in Germany, it is understood that Cherki and Lyon have a “verbal agreement” that a fee of €22.5 million (£19m) would be enough to let him go. Reportedly a target for Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, he was also strongly linked with Liverpool a few months ago.

Having missed out on other forwards and more and more uncertainty surrounding the future of Salah, a bargain deal for one of Ligue 1’s top talents would only make too much sense if the Reds could get it over the line.

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