Chelsea have been letting one player after another go this summer. Sooner or later, they will need to make some signings as well though. And it looks like they have a French wonderkid in their sights as a potential replacement for the outgoing Christian Pulisic. Real Madrid have been linked with the Lyon youngster for years though, since the time of Zinedine Zidane as manager.
The player in question is Rayan Cherki. The French wonderkid is one of the most highly-rated young talents in the world and he is now starting to make his presence felt at the top level as well.
Cherki started last season as an option to bring off the bench for Lyon. But by the middle of the campaign, he had managed to establish himself as a starter for the club.
Cherki is a supreme talent and is starting to put up numbers at the senior level as well. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he scored 5 goals and provided 6 assists in 39 appearances and 2311 minutes of football for Lyon last season.
Chelsea ready to bid for €40 million Real Madrid target
As reported by ESPN, Chelsea are preparing to make an opening offer for Cherki. They seek a replacement for Pulisic, who is closing in on a move to AC Milan.
Cherki is a talisman, who can make something special happen out of nothing. He can play on both wings, but appears to be at his best when he is playing in the number 10 role. Someone like him could thrive under the management of Mauricio Pochettino, who got the best out of Dele Alli.
Real Madrid are a club who have been linked with Cherki for years now, before he had even debuted at the senior level. But it looks like Chelsea have moved ahead in the race to sign the €40 million-rated Frenchman.