Although Premier League clubs seemingly always want to be in the conversation when it appears that talented players are available for purchase, on this occasion they may be out of luck after CaughtOffside’s Jonathan Johnson suggested that Rayan Cherki was a perfect fit for PSG.
The French Algerian is just 19 years of age but has a maturity on the football pitch that is beyond his years.
Lyon are the current beneficiaries of his enviable skill set, however, Johnson, writing for the CaughtOffside Substack which will be published in full on Friday, believes the player needs to move on to become truly elite.
“Rayan Cherki is another young French talent to keep an eye on, he’s a very interesting player, very talented. He’s the latest prospect to be produced on the famed Lyon talent production line,” he wrote.
“I can’t see Lyon keeping him or other star players for much longer without European football, so at most you could probably argue for him staying for one more season at Lyon to ensure he’s a starter, but he could also potentially get that somewhere like PSG, who have been linked with him in the past.”
Cherki is the type of player that every team could do with. An attacking player that’s always on the front foot, he is dogged and determined when wanting to will a ball back, however, in the right team, he would just be relied upon for sticking the ball in the back of the net.
Where PSG are concerned, they’ve enough ball winners already to allow Cherki to play as a lone striker if required.
With Neymar injured and potentially likely to move on from the French capital, this could be the right time for PSG to make a move.
“[…] Players like Cherki need to be playing European football and if they keep missing out it’s hard to see the logic in him staying. He’s more than good enough to play in Europe and that’s what he needs for his development,” Johnson added.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly strong in terms of links with Premier League clubs for the moment, but if he were to join, he’s a very attack-minded player who can fill in out wide or even play as an out-and-out striker, but I think he’s best as a bit of a creative hub. I can see him fitting in at a team who play with a sort of fluid front three. He’s actually just the kind of player PSG have been lacking, and while I wouldn’t go as far as to say he’s Neymar-esque, he does look like someone who could give them a lot in a sort of central attacking role.”
Quite what he would cost in today’s market is anyone’s guess, (transfermarkt have his current value at a paltry €18m), but if PSG are planning for the future, then finances shouldn’t be problematic.