Real Madrid for most of its history has always been termed as a “buyers club”. A club that always spends large sums of money on the best players in the world. This policy was prominent in the club’s early years and had re-emerged during Florentino Perez’s first presidential stint when the “Galactico” policy was adopted.
While Madrid bought most of the best players in the world, their arch-rivals Barcelona focused more on homegrown talents or signing younger upcoming players with a lot of career potential. Over the last few years, the tables have now changed, Real Madrid seemed to have ditched the Galactico policy for a more youth prospect project. Whereas, the Catalans seem to have adopted the Galactico policy.
Since Madrid’s new era focuses on signing younger prospects, I’ve chalked up a list of key targets that the club must keep a close watch on. These players could be considered as prospective transfer targets for the future to build a long-term sustainable sporting project.
RAYAN CHERKI – OLYMPIQUE LYON
If you don’t already know, Olympique Lyon have produced some of the very best talents in world football. A few notable players who came up the ranks at Lyon have been Hatem Ben Arfa, Karim Benzema, and Alexandre Lacazette.
Lyon’s newest wunderkind is 18-year-old Rayan Cherki- a thrilling and exciting attacking midfielder who likes to play just behind the striker as a number 10. At the young age of 18, Cherki is already turning heads at Lyon with his ability on the ball. His quick feet and ability to glide past opponents have already seen him being compared to Hateem Ben Afra.
Cherki is an elite dribbler averaging 4.5 dribbles per 90, according to FBref. His ability to dribble so efficiently makes him a vital asset to break down the opposition backline and cherry-pick passes into the final third.
Apart from his sky-high potential, Rayan Cherki is quite the Madridista by openly stating that his dream club is Real Madrid. The 18-year-old is truly gifted and he’s a talent that Real Madrid must certainly keep close tabs on for the future.