Real Madrid: Sign and loan deal for top Ligue 1 prospect could be ideal

Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are among the teams competing for Lyon prospect Rayan Cherki, and it sounds like Los Blancos want to complete a deal as soon as they can.

Although Rayan Cherki played in only 139 minutes last season for Lyon in Ligue 1, his two-goal and two-assist performance against Nantes in the French Cup put him on the map as a young star to watch closely. And Real Madrid have indeed been watching closely.

Florentino Perez continues to sign the best young attacking players in the world in an effort to unearth the next global superstar. In Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Luka Jovic, Martin Odegaard, Takefusa Kubo, Achraf Hakimi, and Reinier Jesus, Perez has already given Zinedine Zidane quite the collection of young attacking players. And Vini and Rodrygo are two teenage forwards with true superstar potential.

Cherki, at 16, is already being whispered as the next great player to come out of France. Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Juventus have all been linked to Cherki, but the player has already reportedly said Los Blancos are his dream destination. And that comes as no surprise, especially given how many great young players have chosen Real in recent years.

According to a report from le10sport.com, via Infinite Madrid, Real Madrid want to sign Cherki in the summer of 2020 and immediately agree to a loan deal back to Lyon for a minimum of two seasons. And Cherki is said to be “open” to this plan.

At 16, Cherki wouldn’t be able to play meaningful games for Madrid for at least a couple of years, and Real have had a great deal of success with two-year loan deals. Look at how Odegaard and Hakimi, in particular, have progressed into big stars during loan spells.

So Real Madrid would have to loan out Cherki for a couple of years anyway. Why not let him play first division football at a big club that should have a good, familiar support system for him?

Lyon do a fantastic job of developing young talent, and that statement means it’s even more beneficial for Real to continue to develop a good relationship with them. Recall Madrid and Lyon built relationships over Mariano Diaz, and Los Blancos recently purchased excellent left back Ferland Mendy from the Ligue 1 side.

But Zinedine Zidane, Perez, and the rest of the decision-makers at Real Madrid know that Cherki can be a special player and want to secure his abilities sooner rather than later. Therefore, signing him now and agreeing to loan him back to Lyon would be an ideal option for Los Merengues.